Psychological Profiles of COVID Vaccine-Hesitant Individuals and Implications for Vaccine Message Design Strategies

COVID-19 has caused tremendous consequences in the U.S., and combating the pandemic requires a significant number of Americans to receive COVID-19 vaccines. Guided by prominent health communication theories, this project took a formative evaluation approach and employed a national sample (N = 1,041) in the U.S. to explore the potential differences between vaccine-inclined vs. -hesitant individuals and to generate profiles of hesitant individuals as the foundation for audience segmentation and message targeting. Five distinct profiles emerged in the sample. Characteristics of each profile were described, and appropriate messaging strategies were identified to target each group. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.

Psychological profiles of COVID vaccine-hesitant individuals and implications for vaccine message design strategies.

COVID-19 has caused tremendous consequences in the U.S., and combating the pandemic requires a significant number of Americans to receive COVID-19 vaccines. Guided by prominent health communication theories, this project took a formative evaluation approach and employed a national sample (N = 1041) in the U.S. to explore the potential differences between vaccine-inclined vs. -hesitant individuals and to generate profiles of hesitant individuals as the foundation for audience segmentation and message targeting. Five distinct profiles emerged in the sample. Characteristics of each profile were described, and appropriate messaging strategies were identified to target each group. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.

Targeting COVID-19 vaccine-hesitancy in college students: An audience-centered approach.

Objective: The study tested potential factors that differentiated the COVID-19 vaccine-hesitant and -inclined college students and, based on these factors, identified subgroups of the vaccine-hesitant students. Participants: Participants were 1,183 U.S. college students attending four-year universities or community colleges recruited through Qualtrics between January 25 and March 3, 2021. Methods: Participants completed an online survey assessing their COVID-19 vaccination intention, perceived risks of COVID-19 and the COVID-19 vaccines, efficacy beliefs regarding COVID-19 and the COVID-19 vaccines, and emotions toward taking the COVID-19 vaccines. Results: Vaccine-hesitant and -inclined college students varied in their emotions, risk perceptions, and efficacy beliefs regarding the virus and the vaccines. Using these factors as indicators, vaccine-hesitant college students were classified into five latent subgroups with distinct characteristics. Conclusions: In identifying subgroups of the vaccine-hesitant college students, the study has important insights to offer regarding the design of vaccine-promotion messaging strategies targeting the college student population.

Transcriptome Analysis of Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Response in Patients with Severe COVID-19 Reveals Crucial Genes Regulating Protein Ubiquitination.

BACKGROUND We sought to further our understanding of the biological characteristics underlying severe COVID-19. MATERIAL AND METHODS RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis was used to evaluate peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 4 patients with severe COVID-19 and 4 healthy controls. We performed gene expression analyses to detect differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Enrichment analyses were performed to identify their molecular processes and signaling pathways, and the protein-protein interaction network was constructed to extract the core gene cluster. The investigation of protein-chemical interactions and regulatory signatures for specific regulatory checkpoints and powerful chemical agents was then conducted for these essential genes. Finally, we used single-cell RNA-Seq analysis from an online platform to show how these genes were expressed differently, depending on the kind of cell. RESULTS A total of 268 DEGs were found. The biological process of protein ubiquitination was later discovered to be highly influenced by the core gene cluster (ITCH, TRIM21, RNF130, FBXO11, UBE2J1, and ASB16) at the transcriptome level. Six transcription factors, FNIC, FOXA1, YY1, GATA2, MET2A, and FOXC1, as well as miRNAs hsa-miR-1-3p and hsa-miR-27a-3p were identified. We found a potent chemical agent, copper sulfate, may regulate protein ubiquitination genes cooperatively, and the genes regulating protein ubiquitination could be expressed highly on the macrophages. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, we suggest that protein ubiquitination is a crucial functional process in patients with severe COVID-19. This study will give a deeper insight into biological characteristics and progression of COVID-19 and facilitate development of novel therapeutics, leading to significant advancements in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fear of COVID-19: What Causes Fear and How Individuals Cope with It.

The public's fear of COVID-19 may cause severe consequences. The current project explored what caused U.S. adults' fear of COVID-19 and how they regulated fear using a longitudinal two-wave survey on a national-representative sample (N = 315). Results showed that participants' media exposure frequency and their perceived valence of interpersonal communication predicted their fear of COVID-19 at both waves, and fear at wave 1 further motivated higher frequency of media and interpersonal communication as well as strengthened perceptions that their interpersonal conversations emphasized the danger aspect of COVID-19 at wave 2. Counterarguing was effective in down-regulating individuals' fear, which in turn further encouraged more subsequent use of such strategy. Avoidance used in wave 1 predicted counterarguing at wave 2, while counterarguing employed in wave 1 predicted the subsequent use of reappraisal. Individuals may choose to use counterarguing as a maladaptive coping strategy to control their fear, and they tend to shift from one emotion regulation strategy to another as the pandemic progresses.

A case report of a pregnant woman infected with coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia.

RATIONALE: Since the end of December 2019, the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic has occurred and spread rapidly throughout China. At present, China's epidemic situation has been basically controlled, but the number of cases worldwide is increasing day by day. On March 11, the WHO officially announced that the COVID-19 had become a global pandemic. However, there are currently limited data on pregnant women with COVID-19 pneumonia and their infants. In this paper, a case of a pregnant woman infected with COVID-19 pneumonia is reported. PATIENT CONCERNS: We report a clinically confirmed COVID-19 pregnant woman. The patient was tested negative 4 times in nucleic acid test, but immunoglobulin G was positive and immunoglobulin M was negative before delivery, suggesting a previous infection. DIAGNOSES: The pregnant woman underwent a computed tomography scan of both lungs at 29 + 2 weeks of pregnancy, and scattered stiffness and frosted glass shadows of both lungs were observed. According to the diagnostic criteria for COVID-19 pneumonia in the "New Coronavirus Prevention and Control Plan Fifth Edition" of the National Health Commission of China, she was diagnosed as a clinically confirmed case. INTERVENTIONS: The pregnant women received nebulized inhalation and oral cephalosporin treatment in a community hospital and was discharged after the symptoms disappeared. After that, she was isolated at home. OUTCOMES: The pregnant woman gave birth to a healthy baby after being cured from COVID-19 infection. The nucleic acid test of the neonatal pharyngeal swab was negative, and the neonatal serum test showed positive for immunoglobulin G and negative for immunoglobulin M. LESSONS SUBSECTIONS: The findings of this case report are useful for understanding the possible clinical features of COVID-19 infection in pregnant women, the duration of the antibody, and passive immunity of the fetus.

Clinical analysis of ten pregnant women with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China: A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 is spreading globally. This study aims to evaluate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of pregnant women confirmed with COVID-19 to provide reference for clinical work. METHODS: The clinical features and outcomes of 10 pregnant women confirmed with COVID-19 at Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Hubei Province, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, a tertiary- care teaching hospital in Hubei province, Wuhan, China from January 23 to February 23, 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: All the 10 observed pregnant women including 9 singletons and 1 twin were native people in Wuhan. All of them were diagnosed mild COVID-19, and none of the patients developed severe COVID-19 or died. Among the 10 patients, two patients underwent vaginal delivery, two patients underwent intrapartum cesarean section, and the remaining six patients underwent elective cesarean section. All of 10 patients showed lung abnormalities by pulmonary CT images after delivery. Their eleven newborns were recorded and no neonatal asphyxia was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Pulmonary CT screening on admission may be necessary to reduce the risk of nosocomial transmission of COVID-19 during the outbreak period. And COVID-19 is not an indication of cesarean section.