Effect of female coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination on assisted reproductive outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

IMPORTANCE: The effect of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination on fertility warrants clarification in women undergoing assisted reproductive treatment. OBJECTIVE: To study the association between female COVID-19 vaccination and outcomes of assisted reproductive treatment. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, Embase, the Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and medRxiv and bioRxiv were searched for eligible studies from December 1, 2019, to November 30, 2022, with no language restrictions. STUDY SELECTION AND SYNTHESIS: Observational studies comparing assisted reproductive outcomes between women with and without COVID-19 vaccination were included. The pooled estimates were calculated using the random-effects models as mean differences (MDs), standardized MDs, or odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Heterogeneity was evaluated using the I2 statistic. MAIN OUTCOMES: The number of oocytes retrieved and clinical pregnancy rate. RESULTS: Twenty-one cohort studies involving a total of 19,687 treatment cycles were included. In a comparison of the vaccinated vs. unvaccinated groups, the pooled MD for oocyte number was -0.06 (95% CI, -0.51 to 0.39; I2 = 0), and the pooled odds ratio for clinical pregnancy was 0.95 (95% CI, 0.85-1.05; I2 = 0). Similarly, there were no statistically significant adverse effects identified in other outcomes determined a priori, including 4 cycle characteristics, 6 laboratory parameters, and 3 pregnancy indicators. Most results were consistently unchanged in subgroup and sensitivity analyses, with no evidence of publication bias according to Egger's test. CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: Our work did not find significant differences in assisted reproductive outcomes between vaccinated and unvaccinated women. However, more data are warranted to confirm the safety of COVID-19 vaccination for assisted reproductive treatment and in female fertility in general.

Changes in prevalence of nosocomial infection pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic from a tertiary Hospital in China.

BACKGROUND: Nosocomial infections (NIs) are an important cause of mortality, and increasing evidence reveals that the prevalence of NIs can be reduced through effective prevention and control measures. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the prevention and control measures for the COVID-19 pandemic on NIs. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the prevalence of NIs before and after COVID-19 pandemic for 6 months in the Children's Hospital of Soochow University. RESULTS: A total of 39,914 patients in 2019 and 34,645 patients in 2020 were admitted to the hospital during the study. There were 1.39% (481/34645) of patients with NIs in 2020, which was significantly lower than the 2.56% (1021/39914) of patients in 2019. The rate of critical and fatal cases was also decreased. In addition, the rate of appropriate handwashing, the number of protective gloves and aprons used per person and the number of healthcare staff per patients were significantly increased. Except for the ICU, the prevalence of nosocomial infection in most departments decreased from 2019 to 2020. Regarding the source of infections, a significant reduction was mainly observed in respiratory (0.99% vs 0.42%, p = 0.000) and digestive tract (0.63% vs 0.14%, p = 0.000). The microorganism analysis of respiratory infections indicated an obvious decline in acinetobacters and fungi. The most significant decline of pathogens in gastrointestinal infections was observed for rotavirus. The comparison of catheter-related nosocomial infections between 2019 and 2020 did not show significant differences. CONCLUSIONS: The prevention and control measures for the COVID-19 pandemic have reduced the nosocomial infection in almost all departments, except the ICU, mainly regarding respiratory, gastrointestinal, and oral infections, while catheter-related infections did not show any differences.