Knowledge and Attitudes of Turkish Physicians towards Human Monkeypox Disease and Related Vaccination: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: In May 2022, the monkeypox virus outbreak in multiple countries on various continents marked a potential resurgence of the disease as a global health issue. Considering the crucial role of physicians in mitigating the monkeypox outbreak, we sought to evaluate physicians' knowledge, attitude, concerns, and vaccine acceptance for monkeypox, in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A large-scale, cross-sectional survey was conducted among 283 physicians between 20 August−2 September 2022, in Turkey. The participants' sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge, attitudes, concerns, and vaccine acceptance toward monkeypox infection were collected via a questionnaire. Results: Our study revealed that 32.5% of physicians achieved a good level of knowledge; similarly, 31.4% of the physicians planned to have the monkeypox vaccine. Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis showed that female physicians (p = 0.031) and older people (≥30 vs. <30) were more likely to be knowledgeable about monkeypox (p = 0.007). We found that participants from divisions of internal medicine (p = 0.033) who knew about the monkeypox disease during medical school or residency (p = 0.005) and were previously exposed to COVID-19 disease (p = 0.005) were more likely to have a good knowledge score of monkeypox. We also found that physicians with a good knowledge score were more worried about monkeypox compared to COVID-19 (AOR: 2.22; 95% CI:1.13−4.33; p = 0.019). Additionally, those who had information on monkeypox during medical education (AOR = 2.16, 95% CI = 1.10−4.21; p = 0.024) were more likely to receive the smallpox vaccine to prevent monkeypox viral infection when available. Conclusions: The present study pointed out that physicians in Turkey have unsatisfactory levels of knowledge about the emerging monkeypox. This study results can impede attempts to detect and manage cases of monkeypox and should be addressed through appropriate and timely awareness and educational programs, alerts, and seminars. These might serve as the basis for policymakers' decisions about promoting national monkeypox vaccination strategies and addressing potential vaccine hesitancy and misinformation when needed.

Prevalence of Common Human Coronaviruses (NL63, 229E, and OC43) in Adults Before The COVID-19 Pandemic between 2015 and 2020: A Single-Center Study from Turkey.

Common Human Coronaviruses (HCoVs) (NL63, HKU1, 229E, and OC43) circulate worldwide and cause respiratory tract infections. Epidemiologic study of HCoVs paramount importance since the disease burden and its trajectory in years has not been well addressed in adults. Here, we aimed to describe the burden of HCoVs in a hospital setting over five years before the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a retrospective study among patients (>18 years) between Jan 1, 2015, and Jan 1, 2020, whose respiratory specimens were tested by multiplex RT-PCR. In total, 7861 respiratory samples (4540 patients) were included; 38% tested positive for any respiratory viruses. Of these, 212 (12.2%) samples were positive for HCoVs, and their co-infection with other respiratory viruses was 30.6%. Rhinovirus (RV) (27.6%) was the most common co-infection for all three HCoVs. The overall prevalence of HCoVs tended to be the highest in the winter (40.9%). Patients aged ≥60 years had the highest prevalence of overall HCoVs (39.7%). Given the duration and the large sample size, this study from Turkey is one of the largest to date among adults in the literature. These epidemiological data and molecular surveillance HCoVs have important implications for the control and prevention of respiratory infection.

Relative Vaccine Effectiveness of the Third Dose of CoronaVac or BNT162b2 Following a Two-Dose CoronaVac Regimen: A Prospective Observational Cohort Study from an Adult Vaccine Center in Turkey.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to pose a threat to public health with the potential for the emergence of new variants. Vaccines are the milestones to control and slow down the damage of the pandemic. As of January 2021, a two-dose regimen with CoronaVac was authorized in Turkey. Due to the waning seroprevalence rate of SARS-CoV-2 over time, BNT162b2 or CoronaVac has been administered as the third dose following a two-dose CoronaVac regimen as a national vaccination policy. As of 14 January 2021, 5243 volunteers who received two doses of the CoronaVac vaccine at Hacettepe University Adult Vaccine Center were followed prospectively. In our study, relative vaccine effectiveness (VEff) for the third dose of the CoronaVac was 58.24% and 87.27% for BNT162b2 in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 cases. There were no hospitalizations, intensive care unit admissions, or deaths in third-dose booster groups with either BNT162b2 or CoronaVac, yielding 100% effectiveness. Both homologous or heterologous third-dose boosters provided further protection against severe COVID-19 and should be prioritized as an effective strategy to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

RNA-Based COVID-19 vaccine candidates with clinical phase trials in progress

Due to the COVID-19 infection, which was recognized as a global pandemic by the WHO on March 11, 2020, the number of cases and disease-related deaths increases day by day globally. For this reason, antiviral agents used in treatment and vaccines, the most effective weapon in prevention, continue to be the most popular topic of the plan. Several situations are expected to affect the course of the pandemic. The loss of the ability of the virus to mutate and cause disease, the fact that those who become immunized by having the disease in the society reach a critical rate and create social immunity (herd immunity), and the provision of social immunity with effective vaccination can be counted as some of these situations. Candidate vaccines in the clinical phase among RNA-based vaccines: This review aimed to examine COVID-19 vaccine candidates using RNA technology and compile its current data. We used PubMed, Google Scholar, and World Health Organization (WHO) databases. Also, we followed up on the latest news and developments on vaccine companies' websites. Conclusion: Vaccination trials, which started due to the seriousness and urgency of the situation that we are in, continue exceptionally quickly and effectively. As per the WHO>s data on July 9, 2021, there have been 291 vaccine trials, 107 of which are in the clinical phase, and 18 (16%) of the vaccine candidates in the clinical phase are RNA-based vaccines. Also, the number of RNA-based vaccines with ongoing preclinical trials is 2

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perception towards COVID-19 Vaccination among the Adult Population: A Cross-Sectional Study in Turkey.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to wreak havoc on lives and ravage the world. Several vaccines have been approved for use against COVID-19; however, there may be hesitancy and negative perceptions towards vaccination, which may reduce the willingness to be vaccinated. Further, studies assessing the current perception toward COVID-19 vaccination are scarce. This study aimed to assess community knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions regarding COVID-19 vaccines among the general population of Turkey. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 1009 adult participants from the 13-20 April 2021. Demographic data were collected, and attitudes and perceptions toward COVID-19 vaccines were evaluated. A multivariable regression analysis was performed to identify the factors predicting perception towards COVID-19 vaccinations. RESULTS: Just over half of participants were male (52.6%) and the majority of respondents were aged between 30 and 39 years (33.8%). Our study revealed that 62.7% of participants had positive perceptions of COVID-19 vaccines. Logistic regression analysis results showed that older people (≥30 vs. <30) were less likely to have a positive perception towards COVID-19 vaccines (OR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.51-0.94). We also found participants who had a previous history of influenza vaccines (OR = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.43-2.84), bachelor's degrees or above (OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.12-1.91), and a personal history of COVID-19 (OR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.10-2.26) were more likely to have a positive perception regarding COVID-19 vaccines. CONCLUSION: The proportion of the general population in Turkey who believe in COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness is not inferior to that of other countries. However, the low positive perception even among the population applying for vaccination indicates that understanding the perception of the general population and its influencing factors may contribute to developing a strategy for improving vaccination rates by addressing these factors.

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies and Associated Factors in Healthcare Workers before the Era of Vaccination at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Turkey.

Healthcare workers (HCWs), as frontliners, are assumed to be among the highest risk groups for COVID-19 infection, especially HCWs directly involved in patient care. However, the data on the COVID-19 infection and seroprevalence rates are limited in HCWs. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence rates in HCWs according to risk groups for COVID-19 contraction in a large cross-sectional study from a tertiary care hospital in Turkey. We enrolled 1974 HCWs before the vaccination programs. In two separate semi-quantitative ELISAs, either IgA or IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein subunit 1 (S1) were measured. The proportion of positive test results for IgG, IgA, or both against SARS-CoV-2 of study subjects was 19% (375/1974). Frontline HCWs who had contact with patients (21.7%, RR 2.1 [1.51-2.92]) and HCWs in working in the COVID-19 units, intensive care units, or emergency department (19.7%, RR 1.61 [1.12-2.32]) had a notably higher Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG compared to the rest of HCWs who has no daily patient contacts ([11.1%]; p < 0.0001). HCWs who care for regular patients in the medium-risk group have also experienced a sustained higher risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2. We should enhance the precaution against COVID-19 to protect HCW's safety through challenging times.