Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes following COVID-19 Vaccination in Pregnancy (preprint)

Background The physiological and anatomical changes that occur during pregnancy make the mother vulnerable to severe infections and reduce the mother's tolerance to hypoxia. Vaccination is a fundamental strategy to prevent diseases.The present study was done with the aim of investigating maternal and neonatal outcomes following COVID-19 vaccination in Pregnancy.Methods This cross-sectional study was carried out on 1645 pregnant women (685 COVID-19 vaccinated during pregnancy and 960 non- vaccinated). The study was conducted in the public hospitals of Kerman, located in southeastern of Iran, from January to March ,2022. Maternal and neonatal outcomes were measured by interview and observation during labor, delivery and postpartum.Results All vaccinated women had received the Sinopharm vaccine The mean birth weight of the neonates was 2778.9 ± 877.9 grams in the vaccinated and 2827 ± 843.6 grams in the non-vaccinated group. The first minute Apgar score was 8.05 ± 1.89 in the vaccinated and 8.15 ± 2.05 in the non-vaccinated group. The risk of maternal morbidities was not significantly different in two groups (p > 0.001). Only the risk of NICU admission was higher in vaccinated women than in non-vaccinated women (OR = 3.39, P < 0.001).Conclusions Since serious complications associated with receiving COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy were not observed in the present study, and COVID-19 can have serious and fatal effects during pregnancy, it seems reasonable to recommend vaccination during pregnancy to prevent the potential risk posed by COVID-19.

Communal coping and its association with marital relations and psychological outcomes among healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background Communal coping is a type of interdependency in which couples dealing with a health threat share assessment of a threat and respond together to the stress. The present study investigated communal coping in the COVID-19 pandemic and its association with psychological and relational outcomes among healthcare professionals. Methods In the present cross-sectional survey study, 242 healthcare professionals from hospitals and health centers were recruited via convenience sampling between August and October 2020. Communal coping with working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic, dyadic adjustment, psychological distress, and fear of COVID-19 along with demographic and professional characteristics were assessed via an online survey. Results Multivariable linear regression showed that dyadic adjustment (β = 0.73), psychological distress (β = 0.16), fear of COVID-19 (β = 0.11), and support gap (β = −0.04) were significant independent variables associated with communal coping among healthcare professionals. Conclusion Healthcare professionals coped communally within the family in dealing with working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dyadic adjustment was the strongest predictor of communal coping among healthcare professionals.

Post-COVID-19 functional limitations in hospitalized patients and associated risk factors: A 3-month follow-up study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Many patients experience post-COVID-19 functional limitations. This study aimed to monitor the functional improvement of patients over 3 months of follow-up and determine the risk factors. METHODS: This prospective cohort study evaluated 100 hospitalized patients who recovered from COVID-19 infection. The mean age was 53.2 ± 13.1 years. Fifty-nine had at least one comorbid condition. The mean lengths of the hospital and ICU stays were 7.8 ± 3.3 and 5.3 ± 2.5 days, respectively. The functional status of the patients was evaluated using functional independence measure (FIM) and post-COVID-19 functional status (PCFS) questionnaires at four time-points of discharge, 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months after discharge. RESULTS: Mean FIM score was 107.2 ± 17.4 at the time of discharge, 113.3 ± 14.9 at 1 week, 120.3 ± 10.2 at 1 month, and 124.3 ± 6.4 at 3 months after discharge (p < 0.001). The PCFS score was 2.71 ± 1.25 at discharge, 2.09 ± 1.3 at 1 week, 1.14 ± 1.1 at 1 month, and 0.64 ± 0.59 at 3 months after discharge (p < 0.001). Female sex, older age, and the lengths of hospital and ICU stays were negatively correlated with the functional status score. DISCUSSION: Post-COVID-19 functional limitations are observed in hospitalized patients and improve over 3 months after discharge. Female sex, older age, longer hospital, and ICU stays are risk factors that negatively impact functional status.

Increased Rate of Infectious Keratitis After PRK in the COVID-19 Era: The Possible Role of Face Masks.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the rate of infectious keratitis after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed on patients who were diagnosed as having infectious keratitis after PRK between January 2015 and January 2021. RESULTS: The study period was divided into the pre-COVID-19 era (between January 2015 and February 2020) and the COVID-19 era (between February 2020 and January 2021). A total of 47 patients were diagnosed as having infectious keratitis after PRK: 22 were diagnosed in the pre-COVID-19 era and 25 were diagnosed in the COVID-19 era. The rate ratio for infectious keratitis after PRK was 5.68 during the COVID-19 pandemic (CI: 3.20 to 10.07, P < .001). The odds ratio for the ratio of cases of infectious keratitis after PRK to all cases of infectious keratitis was 9.00 during the COVID-19 pandemic (CI: 5.05 to 16.05, P < .001). To better understand the change in the rate of infectious keratitis after PRK during the COVID-19 pandemic, the analysis was narrowed to the patients with infectious keratitis who had their procedure in Farabi Eye Hospital. Of the 8 patients who were diagnosed as having infectious keratitis after PRK, 4 were diagnosed in the pre-COVID-19 era and 4 were diagnosed in the COVID-19 era. The risk ratio of infectious keratitis after PRK was 9.11 in our department in the COVID-19 era (95% CI limit: 2.28 to 36.46, P = .005). CONCLUSIONS: The rate of infectious keratitis after PRK increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. This may be due to the increased use of face masks in this era. [J Refract Surg. 2022;38(2):78-81.].

Ophthalmic practice during COVID-19 pandemic.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused significant changes in ophthalmic practice. The initial strategy of strict restriction of elective activities has been replaced with various guidelines to revitalize ophthalmic procedures considering the new safety concerns. In this manuscript, we reviewed recent recommendations for ophthalmic practice in different fields of ophthalmology during the COVID-19 pandemic.