ABSTRACT
Introduction Initially, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination was started in India for the elderly above 60 years of age. Adults with any comorbidity have been gradually included in the vaccination drive. It is empirical to gain insight into the satisfaction of these beneficiaries with the vaccination as it may act as an influencing factor for receiving the vaccine. Materials and methods This was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out at the COVID-19 vaccination clinic of the Government Medical College and Hospital, Nagpur, among individuals above 60 years of age and those from 45 to 60 years of age with comorbidity. The survey tool was a predesigned structured questionnaire that had close-ended questions on various aspects of awareness about the COVID-19 vaccines and their satisfaction with the immunization center. Interviews were conducted by two interviewers on each day. Data were analyzed using open software Epi Info (CDC, Atlanta, Georgia). The chi-square test was applied as a test of significance. Results A total of 290 subjects participated in the study. The majority had correct knowledge about COVID-19 vaccination and appropriate COVID-19 behavior after vaccination. Fever and body ache were known to most of the subjects as adverse effects following immunization. Social media was the most common source of knowledge. The majority of the subjects were satisfied with the services provided at the vaccination center, but there was no difference as per age, gender, or residential status of the subjects. Conclusion Despite mixed rumors about the COVID-19 vaccine, the majority of the study subjects were well satisfied with the vaccination. They were apparently having fair awareness about the vaccine.
ABSTRACT
Whether weather plays a part in the transmissibility of the novel Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) is still not established. We tested the hypothesis that meteorological factors (air temperature, relative humidity, air pressure, wind speed and rainfall) are independently associated with transmissibility of COVID-19 quantified using the basic reproduction rate (R0). We used publicly available datasets on daily COVID-19 case counts (total n = 108,308), three-hourly meteorological data and community mobility data over a three-month period. Estimated R0 varied between 1.15 and 1.28. Mean daily air temperature (inversely), wind speed (positively) and countrywide lockdown (inversely) were significantly associated with time dependent R0, but the contribution of countrywide lockdown to variability in R0 was over three times stronger as compared to that of temperature and wind speed combined. Thus, abating temperatures and easing lockdown may concur with increased transmissibility of COVID-19 in India.