ABSTRACT
There currently exists no formal consensus on advice given to patients who have experienced an adverse event following immunization (AEFI) (WHO definition) following COVID-19 vaccination. The incidence of vaccine-related cutaneous events is only likely to increase with the UK launching subsequent vaccine doses as part of the mass vaccination programme due to concerns about waning immunity. We present a small multicentre case series of 13 patients presenting with cutaneous-only AEFI from February to August 2021. Patients were between the ages of 21 and 83 years, from multiple ethnicities across secondary and tertiary care trusts in the UK and Hong Kong. The case series demonstrated a phenotypic spectrum of cutaneous manifestations not previously categorized in current literature. Along with our literature review, we have been able to surmise that cutaneous AEFI remain exceptionally rare and this should not be used as cautionary evidence against vaccination. On the contrary, better understanding of AEFI would serve to aid clinicians and patients on making informed decisions based on risk- benefit analysis. It is our aim that this pragmatic approach, taking into account multiple variable factors, would serve to aid in recommendations on vaccination as new evidence emerges over time.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 Vaccines/adverse effects , COVID-19/prevention & control , Drug Eruptions/etiology , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , BNT162 Vaccine/adverse effects , ChAdOx1 nCoV-19/adverse effects , Drug Eruptions/drug therapy , Drug Eruptions/pathology , Drug Eruptions/physiopathology , Female , Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use , Histamine Antagonists/therapeutic use , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Phenotype , SARS-CoV-2 , Young AdultABSTRACT
An in-depth case study of the authentic scientific research during the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) crisis revealed a rich list of features of nature of science (NOS). Among these features, model building stands as a prominent activity of scientists for understanding, explaining, and making sense of some of puzzling observations. In this chapter, we present a detailed analysis of four key episodes of the scientific inquiries during the SARS epidemic, namely, (1) the identification of the transmission mode, (2) the hunt for the causative agent of SARS, (3) the search for the natural host of the SARS-related coronavirus, and (4) the explanation of the mysterious infection pattern in the tragic outbreak at Amoy Gardens (a residential complex), to highlight the important roles and characteristics of models, modeling, and multiple levels of representations of science. We also describe how these scientific models developed were intricately related to social, cultural, and political environments. We then review the roles and nature of scientific models emphasized in the most recent biology curriculum implemented in Hong Kong and critique on its inadequacies in fully reflecting the important function of models and modeling in the authentic scientific inquiries. FAU - Wong, Alice Siu Ling