ABSTRACT
Background With the surge of COVID-19 cases worldwide, vaccines against COVID-19 are also developing across the countries. However, the acceptability of COVID-19 vaccination among general people is questionable. The availability of several vaccines’ options against COVID-19 has perplexed people regarding individual vaccines’ efficacy and safety. Therefore, we aim to determine the acceptance, preferences, impact factors of future COVID-19 vaccines in Malaysia and the factors influencing the COVID-19 vaccination acceptance among vaccine demand and vaccine delay groups. Material and methods An online-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among Malaysian residents 18 years and above of either gender using the snowball sampling technique. A self-administered questionnaire was made available to participants through various social media networks, email, and telegram. The data obtained from the survey were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0. Association between background characteristics and respondents were analyzed using the Chi-square test in the vaccine delay group and vaccine acceptance group. Results Total of 1282 responses were considered for the study, mainly from male respondents (71%). Among the respondents, 95.9% thought that vaccination would be an effective way to prevent and control COVID-19, and 96% would accept vaccination if the COVID-19 vaccine were successfully developed and approved for listing in the future. Essential factors influencing vaccination decisions were vaccine convenience (95.7%) and doctor's recommendation (97.3%). Bivariate analysis revealed that age less than 24 years, Malay race, living in urban areas, tertiary education, students, single marital status, family income (Malaysian ringgits) RM 4,850 to RM 10,959 and >RM 10,960 were significantly associated with vaccine acceptance of COVID19 vaccination. Conclusion All the factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates throughout the country should be studied on a larger scale, and appropriate steps to ensure vaccine acceptance among the public should be meticulously devised by the government and related authorities.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Bangladesh has been going through the austerity of the unique COVID-19 for more than a year like several other nations in the world in spite of concerted efforts taken by the government along with other concerned authorities who have advocated compulsory guidelines involving social distancing procedures accompanied by lockdown to have control over the pandemic. In this paper, the barriers faced by the government to protect people from the COVID-19 pandemic have been investigated. Also, the number of daily infected people against the number of daily tests has been underlined to comprehend the overall pandemic picture in Bangladesh. DESIGN AND METHODS: A descriptive study has been carried out to investigate the obstacles to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic for this country. The intensity of the outbreaks of the pandemic in this country is stated from March 8, 2020, to February 12, 2021. Secondary data have been employed from different sources to serve the goals of the study. RESULTS: The poor management in the health sector of Bangladesh has been an issue of major concern during the early stage of COVID-19 which incorporates deficiency of medical equipment, lack of facilities for testing COVID-19, poor patient management, and uncertainty in the medication system. Finally, some recommendations have been proposed for the concerned organizations to tackle the current pandemic and as well in the future. CONCLUSIONS: To control this COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary to find the difficulties and discover the remedies which have been done in this paper for the Bangladesh perspective.
ABSTRACT
Background: With the surge of COVID-19 cases worldwide, vaccines against COVID-19 are also developing across the countries. However, the acceptability of COVID-19 vaccination among general people is questionable. The availability of several vaccines' options against COVID-19 has perplexed people regarding individual vaccines' efficacy and safety. Therefore, we aim to determine the acceptance, preferences, impact factors of future COVID-19 vaccines in Malaysia and the factors influencing the COVID-19 vaccination acceptance among vaccine demand and vaccine delay groups. Material and methods: An online-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among Malaysian residents 18 years and above of either gender using the snowball sampling technique. A self-administered questionnaire was made available to participants through various social media networks, email, and telegram. The data obtained from the survey were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0. Association between background characteristics and respondents were analyzed using the Chi-square test in the vaccine delay group and vaccine acceptance group. Results: Total of 1282 responses were considered for the study, mainly from male respondents (71%). Among the respondents, 95.9% thought that vaccination would be an effective way to prevent and control COVID-19, and 96% would accept vaccination if the COVID-19 vaccine were successfully developed and approved for listing in the future. Essential factors influencing vaccination decisions were vaccine convenience (95.7%) and doctor's recommendation (97.3%). Bivariate analysis revealed that age less than 24 years, Malay race, living in urban areas, tertiary education, students, single marital status, family income (Malaysian ringgits) RM 4,850 to RM 10,959 and >RM 10,960 were significantly associated with vaccine acceptance of COVID19 vaccination. Conclusion: All the factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates throughout the country should be studied on a larger scale, and appropriate steps to ensure vaccine acceptance among the public should be meticulously devised by the government and related authorities.
Antecedentes: Con el aumento de casos de COVID-19 en todo el mundo, las vacunas contra la COVID-19 también están en desarrollo en todos los países. Sin embargo, la aceptabilidad de la vacuna COVID-19 entre la gente en general es cuestionable. La disponibilidad de varias opciones de vacunas contra COVID-19 ha dejado perpleja a la gente con respecto a la eficacia y seguridad de las vacunas individuales. Por lo tanto, tenemos como objetivo determinar la aceptación, las preferencias y los factores de impacto de las futuras vacunas COVID-19 en Malasia y los factores que influyen en la aceptación de la vacunación COVID-19 entre la demanda de vacunas y los grupos de demora de la vacuna. Material y métodos: Se realizó una encuesta transversal en línea entre residentes de Malasia de 18 años o más de cualquier género utilizando la técnica de muestreo de bola de nieve. Se puso a disposición de los participantes un cuestionario autoadministrado a través de varias redes sociales, correo electrónico y telegrama. Los datos obtenidos de la encuesta se analizaron con el programa SPSS versión 25.0. La asociación entre las características de fondo y los encuestados fueron analizados usando la prueba de χ2 en el grupo de demora de la vacuna y el grupo de aceptación de la vacuna. Resultados: Se consideró un total de 1.282 respuestas para el estudio, principalmente de hombres encuestados (71%). Entre los encuestados, el 95,9% pensó que la vacunación sería una forma eficaz de prevenir y controlar la COVID-19, y el 96% aceptaría la vacunación si la vacuna COVID-19 se desarrollara con éxito y se aprobara para su inclusión en el futuro. Factores esenciales que influyeron en las decisiones de vacunación fueron la conveniencia de la vacuna (95,7%) y la recomendación del médico (97,3%). El análisis bivariado reveló que la edad < 24 años, la raza malaya, la vida en áreas urbanas, educación terciaria, estudiantes, estado civil soltero, ingresos familiares RM 4,850 a RM 10,959 y > RM 10,960 (en ringgits, moneda malaya), se asociaron significativamente con la aceptación de la vacuna COVID-19. Conclusión: Todos los factores que influyen en las tasas de aceptación de la vacuna COVID-19 en todo el país deben estudiarse a mayor escala, y el gobierno y las autoridades relacionadas deben diseñar meticulosamente los pasos apropiados para asegurar la aceptación de la vacuna entre el público.
ABSTRACT
The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has become a public health emergency. The speed at which COVID-19 become pandemic and spread all over the world is alarming. A critical aspect of this type of pandemic is on the mental health of the community. This survey aimed to describe psychological distress in Indonesia's general population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data collection began on 1st April 2020 to 30th April 2020. An online survey using Google Form with snowball sampling method used in this study. A modified version of the COVID-19 peri-traumatic distress index (CPDI) with 24 items used. The survey questionnaire included socio-economic and demographic variables. The study's total responses were 1,287, with 33 excluded from the analysis because of incomplete responses or not meeting inclusion criteria. Results showed that 63.5% of respondents reported having normal or no distress, 34% were having mild to moderate levels of distress, and 2.8% having severe distress. Age is the only variable that correlates with the level of distress. Healthcare workers and the general population showed no significant differences in the level of distress. During the early break of the COVID-19 pandemic, around 40% of respondents rated their psychological state having moderate to severe distress. These findings can be used to develop better psychological intervention measures and prevention of mental health during the pandemic. © 2021, Universitas Ahmad Dahlan - Faculty of Publich Health. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, psychological reactions of the population play a critical role in both the spread of the disease and the occurrence of emotional distress and social disorder. AIM: This study aimed to measure the prevalence and severity of psychological distress to evaluate the current mental health burden on society that leads to the provision of a concrete basis for tailoring and implementing relevant mental health intervention policies to efficiently and effectively respond to the challenges brought by the pandemic. METHODS: An anonymous, internet-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted from March to April 2020. In this regard, a structured online questionnaire was utilized to collect sociodemographic data and the COVID-19 Peritraumatic Distress Index (CPDI). Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the sociodemographic and prevalence of CPDI among respondents. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify significant predictors of distress. RESULTS: Most of the respondents did not feel distressed about COVID-19 (52.1%), whereas 39.5% and 8.4% had mild-to-moderate and severe distress. The regression analysis demonstrated that higher religion and faithfulness levels, lower levels of education, and living in Mindanao (unlike those living in the Visayas) were associated with lower levels of psychological distress among the Filipino respondents during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: Policy-makers and practitioners in the in Filipino society need to consider key factors such as religion, education, and the region where they live in to reduce psychological distress among Filipinos.
ABSTRACT
World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the ongoing COVID-19 as a global pandemic on March 11, 2020.For this advancement, countries all over the world has begun to implement lockdown as one of the strategies to tackle the spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus. Like other countries, the lockdown in India also poses serious problems to the health industry and to many other sectors. One of the severely affected and ignored programs, the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP)which approximately addresses 27 million newborns seeking immunization per year, is also suspended. In this scenario, outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases could be catastrophic for communities and health systems which are battling the impacts of COVID-19. At present, there exists no definite medicine and vaccine for COVID-19. The immunity of an individual plays a crucial role in the prevention of disease as well as severity. The interruption of vaccination program can give rise to a resurgence of measles cases. This resurgence can lead to profound immunosuppressants which can cause an increased incidence of COVID-19 with a rise in the number of severe cases which eventually leads to increased mortality rate. Moreover, the suppression of immune function can lead to increased incidence of other infections which may have a huge burden to the healthcare system where services have already been compromised due to low resources. Lessons should be learned from Europe and Africa. Initiatives should be taken to restore the routine immunization program immediately with all precautionary measures as per WHO guidelines. © 2020 Ubiquity Press. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Background: The increasing numbers of infected cases with Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) overwhelmed the population all over the world. The advice with regard to social distancing and staying at home were recommended in the community which have led to the spread of psychological distress. Objective: To assess the psychological status of the general population in Egypt during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Methods: The authors conducted a cross-sectional, observational survey before the peak of the pandemic in Egypt through an online questionnaire. It was shared through e-mails and different social media platforms. The COVID-19 Peritraumatic Distress Index (CPDI) questionnaire adapted by the Shanghai Mental Health Centre was used to inquire about the incidence of anxiety, depression, specific phobias, cognitive changes, avoidance, compulsive behaviors, physical warning signs, and loss of social interaction in the aforementioned period. Logistic regression was used to analyze factors affecting CPDI score to evaluate the relationship between CPDI category, socioeconomic, and demographic characteristics. Findings: Overall, 523 eligible participants were enrolled (including 266 health care workers (HCW) and 257 non-HCW). It was found that 51.9% of HCWs experienced mild to moderate distress, while 15% experienced severe distress. Additionally, non-HCWs' results showed that 39.7% of them experienced mild to moderate distress;21.8% experienced severe distress (OR: 0.717;95% CI: 0.493-1.043). Moreover, the percentage of females with severe distress (21.7%) was two times higher than that of males (10.7%) (OR: 0.412;95%CI: 0.278-0.612). Conclusion: Public health emergencies such as COVID-19 increase the psychological distress liability of the general Egyptian population. Promoting mental health well-being, as well as behaviorally public psychological engagement during outbreaks, is required to support people who are distressed and to ameliorate their mental health. © 2020 Ubiquity Press. All rights reserved.