ABSTRACT
Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the impact of covid-19 on the learning of medical students of Federal Medical College, Islamabad. Material(s) and Method(s): This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 215 medical students of Federal Medical College, Islamabad from October to December 2021. A pretested validated tool was used to collect primary data from medical students via random sampling. SPSS version 25 was used for data analysis. The chi-square test was used to see the association between various variables. Result(s): This study included 54.9% (118) females and 45.1% (97) males. 188 (87.4%) students reported that they were tak-ing online classes. Most of the students, 181 (84.2%) thought that COVID-19 affected their study durations. The pandemic has caused wastage of time was reported by 155 (72.1%) students and 60 (27.9%) stated pandemic had given them extra time to clear their concepts. More than 2/3rd of the students (78.6%) were concerned about their professional examinations due to the present situation of the pandemic. Among all the respondents, 177 (82.3%) were not satisfied with this method of learning and also 184 (85.6%) students have lost interest in their studies. Most of the students 173 (80.5%) were facing difficulty in establishing the boundary between their work and home and 180 (83.7%) were missing classroom engagement. Conclusion(s): Covid 19 has severely affected medical education. E-learning is not suitable for medical students as most of their learning involves practical performance and interaction with patients.Copyright © 2023, Khyber Medical College. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Background: The therapeutic effectiveness of interleukin-6 receptor inhibitor in critically ill hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is uncertain. Methods: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the outcome as recovery or death of tocilizumab for severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, we conducted a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial in critically ill COVID-19 adult patients. The patients were randomly assigned in a 4:1 ratio to receive standard medical treatment plus the recommended dose of either tocilizumab or the placebo drug. Randomization was stratified. The primary outcome was the recovery or death after administration of tocilizumab or a placebo drug. The secondary outcomes were clinical recovery or worsening of the patients' symptoms and inflammatory markers and discharge from the hospital. Results: Of 190 patients included in this study, 152 received tocilizumab, and 38 received a placebo. The duration of hospital stay of the interventional group was 12.9 ± 9.2, while the placebo group had a more extended hospital stay (15.6 ± 8.8). The mortality ratio for the primary outcome, ie, mortality or recovery in the tocilizumab group was 17.8%;p = 0.58 by log-rank test). The mortality ratio in the placebo group was 76.3%;p = 0.32 by log-rank test). The inflammatory markers in the tocilizumab group significantly declined by day 16 compared to the placebo group. Conclusions: The use of tocilizumab was associated with decreased mortality, earlier improvement of inflammatory markers, and reduced hospital stay in patients with severe COVID-19. © 2022 The Author(s)
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic affected life-saving childhood immunization globally and affected Vaccine-Preventable Diseases eradication and elimination efforts. During the initial phase of the pandemic, some countries temporarily stopped vaccination campaigns against measles, meningitis, polio, tetanus, typhoid, and yellow fever. This study was conducted to quantify the effect of COVID-19 on EPI vaccination. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the district Swat of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa from June to August 2022. The data was extracted from the EPI Management Information System for the four months of the pre-pandemic period and four months of the lockdown period. The pre-pandemic four-month data was taken as a baseline and was compared with the four-months lockdown period. A 7-19% decrease was found during the lockdown period in various antigen coverage. Coverage of Penta-3 was most affected having a 19% decrease while measles coverage was less affected showing a 7% decrease during the lockdown period. BCG coverage was affected by 14%, PCV by 11 to 18%, Rota by 12 to 16%, and IPV by 18%. The vaccination coverage improved in the later months of the lockdown, but the number of defaulters and zero-dose children increased. To fill this gap, a robust strategy for vaccination is recommended.
ABSTRACT
Background Worldwide, office employees have experienced two novel phenomena during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown: working from home and reductions in their salaries. These phenomena have majorly impacted the lives of individuals as well as their families. The present study aims to measure the perceived stress levels among employees during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Pakistan. Methodology A cross-sectional approach was used to collect data from a sample of 385 employees working in three different IT-oriented private organizations. A semi-structured, Likert-scale questionnaire was used, containing the 10-item inventory from the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). A sociodemographic profile, working parameters, and frequency of PSS inventory were presented in the descriptive analysis. Binary logistic regression analysis was made to compare the stress levels of the two groups resulting from their workloads and reductions in salary. Results An elevated perceived stress level (50.9%) was observed among the employees, showing a significant relationship with salary reduction and home work engagement (p<0.005). A strong negative correlation was observed (-0.860) for the salary reduction with PSS. Conclusion Working from home and reductions in salary caused increased perceived stress levels of the employees working in private organizations. Salary reductions proved to be a strong stressor, causing economic disruption and inability to cope with financial burdens during the COVID-19 pandemic.