Evaluation of a Community COVID-19 Vaccine Ambassador Train-the-Trainer Program.

Racially minoritized groups are more likely to experience COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and have lower vaccination rates.  As part of a multi-phase community-engaged project, we developed a train-the-trainer program in response to a needs assessment. "Community vaccine ambassadors" were trained to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. We evaluated the program's feasibility, acceptability, and impact on participant confidence for COVID-19 vaccination conversations. Of the 33 ambassadors trained, 78.8% completed the initial evaluation; nearly all reported gaining knowledge (96.8%) and reported a high confidence with discussing COVID-19 vaccines (93.5%). At two-week follow-up, all respondents reported having a COVID-19 vaccination conversation with someone in their social network, reaching an estimated 134 people. A program that trains community vaccine ambassadors to deliver accurate information about COVID-19 vaccines may be an effective strategy for addressing vaccine hesitancy in racially minoritized communities.

Conspiracy beliefs and attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccinations

During the coronavirus pandemic, this study aimed to investigate the impact of conspiracy beliefs on Finnish attitudes toward vaccinations in general and COVID-19 vaccinations in particular. This study was a conceptual replication in Finland of a study by Pivetti et al. (2021). Some 529 Finnish participants responded to a self-report questionnaire during the partial lockdown in Finland in spring 2020. The hypothesized relationships between variables of interest were integrated in a serial multiple mediation model via structural equation modelling. Results showed that endorsing general conspiracy beliefs directly predicted (1) general attitudes toward vaccines and (2) COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs, and indirectly predicted (3) attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines via the serial mediation of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs and general attitudes toward vaccines. As for the antecedents of beliefs in conspiracy theories, political orientation and moral purity predicted beliefs in COVID-19 conspiracy theories. Trust in science was inversely related to general conspiracy beliefs. As for the consequences of conspiracy beliefs, COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs directly predicted support for governmental restrictions (negatively) and the perception of informational contamination (positively).

Safety and Efficacy of Covid-19 Vaccination in Patients Undergoing Biological Treatments for Psoriasis.

The introduction of biologic drugs revolutionized the treatment of psoriasis, shifting treatment goals to higher treatment outcomes and less frequent safety issues. The outbreak of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) represented a worldwide challenge, strongly affecting lifestyle, global economy, and overall health. Among the strategies adopted to contain the spreading of the infection, vaccination is the main one. In this context, the introduction of COVID-19 vaccines raised several doubts about their effectiveness and safety in patients undergoing therapy with biological for psoriasis. Even if molecular and cellular mechanisms by which COVID-19 vaccines lead to psoriasis development have not yet been fully elucidated, vaccination itself can trigger the release of interleukin (IL)-6, interferon (IFN) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α by T-helper (Th)1/Th17 cells. All these cytokines are involved in psoriasis pathogenesis. Thus, the aim of this manuscript is to review current literature on the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination in psoriasis patients undergoing treatment with biologics, in order to clarify any concerns.

Conspiracy beliefs and attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccinations: A conceptual replication study in Finland

During the coronavirus pandemic, this study aimed to investigate the impact of conspiracy beliefs on Finnish attitudes toward vaccinations in general and COVID-19 vaccinations in particular. This study was a conceptual replication in Finland of a study by Pivetti et al. (2021). Some 529 Finnish participants responded to a self-report questionnaire during the partial lockdown in Finland in spring 2020. The hypothesized relationships between variables of interest were integrated in a serial multiple mediation model via structural equation modelling. Results showed that endorsing general conspiracy beliefs directly predicted (1) general attitudes toward vaccines and (2) COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs, and indirectly predicted (3) attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines via the serial mediation of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs and general attitudes toward vaccines. As for the antecedents of beliefs in conspiracy theories, political orientation and moral purity predicted beliefs in COVID-19 conspiracy theories. Trust in science was inversely related to general conspiracy beliefs. As for the consequences of conspiracy beliefs, COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs directly predicted support for governmental restrictions (negatively) and the perception of informational contamination (positively). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

COVID-19 vaccinations and risk spillovers: Evidence from Asia-Pacific stock markets

This study investigates the impact of COVID-19 vaccinations on volatility (risk) spillovers among major Asia-Pacific stock markets. Utilizing both mean-based and quantile-based connectedness approaches, we examine the evolving patterns and network structure of risk spillovers not only on average but also in the extreme left and right tails. Risk spillovers are typically stronger under extreme shocks. A common regularity observed in the dynamics of standard (average) and extreme risk spillovers is that there are fewer risk spillovers after the launch of the COVID-19 vaccines. We also conduct a series of regression analyses to investigate the association between spillover levels and vaccination rates. The regression results support that an increase in vaccinations is associated with an decrease in standard risk spillovers. Besides, it is observed that vaccinations have an asymmetric impact on the extreme downside-tail and upside-tail risk spillovers. Further, panic sentiment is identified as a potential channel through which vaccinations affect spillovers. Our findings point to the role of COVID-19 vaccinations in stabilizing the Asia-Pacific stock markets by reducing risk spillovers. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.

Decompressive surgery in cerebral venous sinus thrombosis due to vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis due to vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (CVST-VITT) is an adverse drug reaction occurring after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccination. CVST-VITT patients often present with large intracerebral haemorrhages and a high proportion undergoes decompressive surgery. Clinical characteristics, therapeutic management and outcomes of CVST-VITT patients who underwent decompressive surgery are described and predictors of in-hospital mortality in these patients are explored. METHODS: Data from an ongoing international registry of patients who developed CVST within 28 days of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, reported between 29 March 2021 and 10 May 2022, were used. Definite, probable and possible VITT cases, as defined by Pavord et al. (N Engl J Med 2021; 385: 1680-1689), were included. RESULTS: Decompressive surgery was performed in 34/128 (27%) patients with CVST-VITT. In-hospital mortality was 22/34 (65%) in the surgical and 27/94 (29%) in the non-surgical group (p < 0.001). In all surgical cases, the cause of death was brain herniation. The highest mortality rates were found amongst patients with preoperative coma (17/18, 94% vs. 4/14, 29% in the non-comatose; p < 0.001) and bilaterally absent pupillary reflexes (7/7, 100% vs. 6/9, 67% with unilaterally reactive pupil, and 4/11, 36% with bilaterally reactive pupils; p = 0.023). Postoperative imaging revealed worsening of index haemorrhagic lesion in 19 (70%) patients and new haemorrhagic lesions in 16 (59%) patients. At a median follow-up of 6 months, 8/10 of surgical CVST-VITT who survived admission were functionally independent. CONCLUSIONS: Almost two-thirds of surgical CVST-VITT patients died during hospital admission. Preoperative coma and bilateral absence of pupillary responses were associated with higher mortality rates. Survivors often achieved functional independence.

Information Channels and Narratives: To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate, That is the Question

The discourses surrounding the COVID-19 vaccination are extensive and have been prolific over the last eighteen months. There has been particular debate among groups of vaccinated and non-vaccinated individuals discussing health benefits and a sense of civic duty in order to protect oneself and those around us as well as considering the extent to which a state really can oblige citizens to uptake the vaccine through a vaccination mandate. This study investigated the discourses regarding choosing to undergo the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination or otherwise and how these discourses are framed within the global and Italian contexts. The role of information channels, including the media, was also investigated along with the power balances revealed among the vaccinated and non-vaccinated individuals' discourses. An online ethnographic poll was designed and distributed through online channels and follow up focus groups using semi-structured interviews were recorded for transcription and linguistic analysis. Results show some interesting linguistic findings regarding potential discrimination due to the vaccination pass mandate along with the narratives that surround these. © 2022 Universita degli Studi di Milano. All rights reserved.

SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Vaccination Cutaneous Manifestations for the Inpatient Dermatologist.

Purpose of Review: The overall purpose of this review was to characterize and summarize cutaneous eruptions associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as well as COVID-19 vaccination. Recent Findings: Cutaneous eruptions associated with COVID-19 infection have a reported frequency of 1-20%. Increased COVID-19 disease severity has been associated with morbilliform exanthems, urticaria, retiform purpura, and livedo racemosa. Papulovesicular eruptions were associated with a milder COVID-19 disease course. A range of dermatoses have also been reported with COVID-19 vaccination but have rarely prevented subsequent vaccination. Summary: Dermatologists should be aware of the associations between COVID-19 disease severity and cutaneous eruptions. Livedo racemosa and retiform purpura are particularly associated with increased disease severity and death. In the setting of COVID-19 vaccination, cutaneous eruptions can largely be managed symptomatically and very rarely do these reactions prevent subsequent vaccination.

Cutaneous Reactions Following COVID-19 Vaccination: A Review of the Current Literature.

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) represented a new worldwide challenge, strongly impacting on the global economy, overall health and lifestyle. Since then, several strategies have been adopted to contain the widespread of infection. Among these, vaccination is currently the most important measure to fight against the pandemic. However, several concerns such as slower-than-hoped-for rollout, the hurried approval with limited data, the mechanism of action (in particular mRNA-based), and the uncertain duration of protection they afforded were initially raised. Moreover, even if cutaneous reactions have been rarely reported in clinical trials, global mass vaccination showed several dermatologic reactions not initially recognized, leaving dermatologists to decide how to diagnose and treat them. In this scenario, dermatologists should be ready to promptly recognize these clinical manifestations. Thus, the aim of this manuscript is to review current literature on cutaneous reactions following COVID-19 vaccination, particularly inflammatory dermatological diseases, in order to help clinicians to better understand these dermatological conditions and to provide an extensive overview of all the vaccine-related skin manifestations.

Rapid Implementation of a Community-Academic Partnership Model to Promote COVID-19 Vaccine Equity within Racially and Ethnically Minoritized Communities.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has highlighted inequities in mortalities and associated illnesses among non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic/Latino individuals. Immunization against COVID-19 is critical to ending the pandemic, especially within racial and ethnically minoritized communities. However, vaccine hesitancy and institutional mistrust in these communities, resulting from decades of mistreatment, structural racism, and barriers to vaccination access, have translated into low vaccination uptake. Trustworthy relationships with healthcare professionals and partnerships with faith and community leaders are critical to increasing vaccination rates within these minoritized communities. Loma Linda University researchers collaborated with local faith and community organizations in San Bernardino County, CA, to rapidly implement a three-tiered approach to increase the vaccination rates within non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic/Latino communities. This community-academic partnership model provided over 1700 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine within these vaccine-hesitant, targeted minoritized communities. As over 100,000 individuals are diagnosed with COVID-19 daily and updated vaccines targeting variants of the Omicron strain are expected to rollout in the coming months, the development of sustainable programs aimed at increasing vaccine uptake within vulnerable communities are of the utmost importance.

Multilayer hybrid ensemble machine learning model for analysis of Covid-19 vaccine sentiments

This work presents the analysis of significant sentiments and attitudes of people towards the COVID-19 vaccination. The tweeter messages related to the COVID-19 vaccine is used for sentiment evaluation in this work. The proposed work consists of two steps: (i) natural processing language (NLP) and (ii) classification. The NLP is utilized for text pre-processing, tokenization, data labelling, and feature extraction. Further, a stack-based ensemble machine learning model is used to classify sentiments as positive, negative, or neutral. The stack ensemble machine learning model includes seven heterogeneous machine learning techniques namely, Naive Bayes, Logistic regression, Decision Tree, Random Forest, AdaBoost Classifier, Gradient Boosting, and extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB). The highest classification accuracy of 97.2%, 88.34%, 88.22%, 85.23%, 86.30%, 87.54%, 86.63%, and 88.78% is achieved by ensemble machine learning model, Logistic regression, AdaBoost, Decision Tree, Naive Bayes, Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, and XGB Classifier, respectively. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Intelligent & Fuzzy Systems is the property of IOS Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Association between the risk of seizure and COVID-19 vaccinations: A self-controlled case-series study.

OBJECTIVE: The risk of seizure following BNT162b2 and CoronaVac vaccinations has been sparsely investigated. This study aimed to evaluate this association. METHOD: Patients who had their first seizure-related hospitalization between February 23, 2021 and January 31, 2022, were identified in Hong Kong. All seizure episodes happening on the day of vaccination (day 0) were excluded, since clinicians validated that most of the cases on day 0 were syncopal episodes. Within-individual comparison using a modified self-controlled case series analysis was applied to estimate the incidence rate ratio (IRR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of seizure using conditional Poisson regression. RESULTS: We identified 1656 individuals who had their first seizure-related hospitalization (BNT162b2: 426; CoronaVac: 263; unvaccinated: 967) within the observation period. The incidence of seizure was 1.04 (95% CI .80-1.33) and 1.11 (95% CI .80-1.50) per 100 000 doses of BNT162b2 and CoronaVac administered, respectively. Sixteen and 17 individuals, respectively, received a second dose after having a first seizure within 28 days after the first dose of BNT162b2 and CoronaVac vaccinations. None had recurrent seizures after the second dose. There was no increased risk during day 1-6 after the first (BNT162b2: IRR = 1.39, 95% CI = .75-2.58; CoronaVac: IRR = 1.19, 95% CI = .50-2.83) and second doses (BNT162b2: IRR = 1.36, 95% CI = .72-2.57; CoronaVac: IRR = .71, 95% CI = .22-2.30) of vaccinations. During 7-13, 14-20, and 21-27 days post-vaccination, no association was observed for either vaccine. SIGNIFICANCE: The findings demonstrated no increased risk of seizure following BNT162b2 and CoronaVac vaccinations. Future studies will be warranted to evaluate the risk of seizure following COVID-19 vaccinations in different populations, with subsequent doses to ensure the generalizability.

A global database of COVID-19 vaccinations

[Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported in Vol 5(7) of Nature Human Behaviour (see record 2021-69306-023). In the original article, errors occurred in Figs. 2 and 6. Figure 2 showed a lack of alignment between the years presented on gross domestic product (GDP) per capita values across countries. These figures-presented in GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power parity, measured in international dollars-have now been aligned. This correction was necessary because the most recent year for which GDP data is available from the World Bank is different across countries. The GDP alignment issue will have affected all countries in the dataset, some to a very small (unnoticeable) degree when GDP has not significantly changed year-to-year, but more visibly for countries with strong growth rates (e.g., China). Figure 6 incorrectly indicated that no vaccine for Ebola exists. In fact, the first vaccine against Ebola was approved in the European Union and the USA in 2019. These errors have been corrected in the PDF and HTML versions of this article.] An effective rollout of vaccinations against COVID-19 offers the most promising prospect of bringing the pandemic to an end. We present the Our World in Data COVID-19 vaccination dataset, a global public dataset that tracks the scale and rate of the vaccine rollout across the world. This dataset is updated regularly and includes data on the total number of vaccinations administered, first and second doses administered, daily vaccination rates and population-adjusted coverage for all countries for which data are available (169 countries as of 7 April 2021). It will be maintained as the global vaccination campaign continues to progress. This resource aids policymakers and researchers in understanding the rate of current and potential vaccine rollout;the interactions with non-vaccination policy responses;the potential impact of vaccinations on pandemic outcomes such as transmission, morbidity and mortality;and global inequalities in vaccine access. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Author correction: A global database of COVID-19 vaccinations

Reports an error in "A global database of COVID-19 vaccinations" by Edouard Mathieu, Hannah Ritchie, Esteban Ortiz-Ospina, Max Roser, Joe Hasell, Cameron Appel, Charlie Giattino and Lucas Rodes-Guirao (Nature Human Behaviour, 2021[Jul], Vol 5[7], 947-953). In the original article, errors occurred in Figs. 2 and 6. Figure 2 showed a lack of alignment between the years presented on gross domestic product (GDP) per capita values across countries. These figures-presented in GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power parity, measured in international dollars-have now been aligned. This correction was necessary because the most recent year for which GDP data is available from the World Bank is different across countries. The GDP alignment issue will have affected all countries in the dataset, some to a very small (unnoticeable) degree when GDP has not significantly changed year-to-year, but more visibly for countries with strong growth rates (e.g., China). Figure 6 incorrectly indicated that no vaccine for Ebola exists. In fact, the first vaccine against Ebola was approved in the European Union and the USA in 2019. These errors have been corrected in the PDF and HTML versions of this article. (The following of the original article appeared in record 2021-69306-020). An effective rollout of vaccinations against COVID-19 offers the most promising prospect of bringing the pandemic to an end. We present the Our World in Data COVID-19 vaccination dataset, a global public dataset that tracks the scale and rate of the vaccine rollout across the world. This dataset is updated regularly and includes data on the total number of vaccinations administered, first and second doses administered, daily vaccination rates and population-adjusted coverage for all countries for which data are available (169 countries as of 7 April 2021). It will be maintained as the global vaccination campaign continues to progress. This resource aids policymakers and researchers in understanding the rate of current and potential vaccine rollout;the interactions with non-vaccination policy responses;the potential impact of vaccinations on pandemic outcomes such as transmission, morbidity and mortality;and global inequalities in vaccine access. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Vaccinations versus Lockdowns to Prevent COVID-19 Mortality.

Measures employed to combat COVID-19 included public lockdowns and vaccination campaigns. Israel's extensive public health system produced data demonstrating the real-world results of these measures. Our objective was to evaluate the health and economic outcomes of the measures to cope with COVID-19. Publicly available datasets from the Israeli Ministry of Health were used to model the parameters of the pandemic in Israel. The Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker was used for quantitative data on government policies. Data on the Israeli economy were taken from the Central Bureau of Statistics. Our models demonstrate that the first lockdown prevented 1022 COVID-19 deaths at the cost of 36.4-38.6 billion NIS. The second lockdown prevented 1970 COVID-19 deaths and cost 18-21 billion NIS. These lifesaving effects were observed with a time lag from the declaration of lockdown. The primary vaccination campaign cost 1 billion NIS and prevented 4750 COVID-19 deaths. The first vaccination booster campaign prevented 650 COVID-19 deaths and cost 51.1 million NIS. Therefore, the cost per prevented COVID-19 death is 10-36 million NIS with a national lockdown versus 210,000 NIS in the primary vaccination campaign and 79,000 NIS in the first booster campaign. In conclusion, both lockdowns and vaccination campaigns effectively lower COVID-19 deaths, but the cost to avoid one COVID-19 death with effective vaccination is 50-466 times lower than with a lockdown.

Pediatric Off-Label COVID-19 Vaccination: The Concerns of Healthcare Professionals in Pakistan.

Global health authorities have emphasized the vital role of healthcare professionals (HCPs) as a reliable source of vaccination information for patients in primary care. However, HCPs are concerned whether COVID-19 vaccinations can be used off-label. Hence, the current study was conducted to assess their perspectives towards off-label COVID-19 immunization in children. The study tool, consisting of 40 items, was utilized to evaluate HCPs' knowledge and attitudes towards the off-label use of the COVID-19 vaccine in children under 12 years of age. To assess the unfavorable attitudes regarding vaccinations, the Vaccination Attitudes Examination Scale was employed. Overall, 477 completed questionnaires were incorporated in the present study, with a response rate of 88.9%. The mean age of the respondents was 38.6 ± 7.5 years; among whom the majority were physicians, n = 209 (43.8%), and pharmacists, n = 112 (23.4%). Approximately 78% of the respondents had a general awareness of off-label vaccination. Around 80% knew the adverse drug reactions associated with the use of COVID-19 vaccines. Females showed more mistrust about vaccine benefits, n = 55 (16.9%), compared to males, n = 21 (13.8%), and concerns about commercial profits of vaccines, n = 59 (18.1%), compared to males, n = 19 (12.5%). By profession, physicians showed statistically significantly lower mistrust, n = 18 (8.6%), and higher concerns about unpredicted effects of vaccines, n = 41 (19.6%). A major portion of the respondents, n = 327 (68.5%), did not consider that HCPs should prescribe/administer off-label COVID-19 vaccination in children. The current findings demonstrated that respondents had an appropriate level of understanding about COVID-19 immunization in children. They showed higher levels of rejection for off-label use of the COVID-19 vaccination.

Implementation of an onboard COVID-19 vaccination programme: a university partnership to vaccinate seafarers.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused many seafarers to be stranded on their ships due to lack of access to a vaccine and fear of contracting the COVID-19 virus limiting their ability to work on the ship. Once COVID-19 vaccinations were available, a lack of access to the vaccine continued to exist in the underserved seafarer population. This lack of access to the COVID-19 vaccine meant that seafarers were sometimes unable to leave their ships for months beyond their original contracts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The University of South Florida (USF) College of Nursing collaborated with the USF Morsani Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy in the development and implementation of an onboard COVID-19 vaccination programme at the request of the Port of Tampa Ministries. RESULTS: In 6 months, 1237 seafarers from 30 countries and 5 continents received the COVID-19 vaccination as a result of this programme. CONCLUSIONS: Partnership between a commercial port and a College of Nursing at a local university enabled hundreds of seafarers to be vaccinated against COVID-19. This programme serves as a model for industry and academic partnerships that can have a global impact on health and wellness.

COVID-19 infection and vaccination against COVID-19: Impact on managing demyelinating CNS disorders in Southern India- experience from a demyelinating disease registry.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The impact of COVID-19 infection and the effect of COVID-19 vaccinations on patients with demyelinating central nervous system disease in low middle income countries (LMIC's) have not been reported in detail earlier. We sought to identify risk factors associated with COVID-19 infection and the role of vaccination in order to develop management guidelines relevant to our patients. METHODS: A total of 621 patients from our registry that included 297 MS and 324 non MS disorders (Aquaporin- 4 antibody positive [50], Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody positive [81], seronegative [162] and clinically isolated syndrome [31]) were contacted. COVID-19 infection and vaccination status were queried. Patients who self reported COVID-19 infection based on a positive RT PCR report were compared with non infected patients to identify factors associated with susceptibility for COVID-19 infection. Univariate and multivariate analysis of potential risk factors included demographic and clinical features, body mass index (BMI), presence of comorbidities, absolute lymphocyte count, treatment types and vaccination status. RESULTS: Sixty seven patients with MS and 27 with non MS disorders developed COVID-19 infection. Among them 81 patients had mild infection and remained quarantined at home. All 13 patients who needed hospitalization recovered. Vaccination status was known in 582 patients among whom 69.8% had completed or taken one dose of vaccine at the time of inquiry. Majority of treated patients (61.3%) were on nonspecific immunosuppressants. In univariate analysis, presence of ≥1 comorbidity was significantly associated with COVID-19 infection in both MS (p value 0.01, OR-2.28, 95%CI- 1.18-4.4) and non MS patients (p- 0.001, OR-4.4, 95% CI-1.88-10.24). In the latter, BMI ≥ 30 (p-0.04, OR-3.27, 95% CI- 0.98-10.87) and EDSS score ≥ 3 (p-0.02, OR- 2.59,95% CI- 1.08-6.23) were other significant associations. History of prior COVID-19 vaccination was associated with reduced frequency of COVID-19 infection among MS (p- 0.001,OR- 0.24,95% CI- 0.13-0.43) and non MS patients (p- 0.0001,OR-0.14, 95% CI- 0.058-0.35). In multivariate analysis presence of comorbidities significantly increased and prior vaccination significantly reduced frequency of COVID-19 infection for both MS and related disorders. Concurrent disease modifying treatments showed a trend for association with infection. In the unvaccinated group, patients on disease modifying treatment were significantly at risk of infection, 81.5% unvaccinated and treated versus 18.5% who were unvaccinated and untreated (p- 0.0001, OR-10.1, 95% CI-0.56-2.11). CONCLUSION: Frequency and severity of COVID-19 infection was low among our patient cohort. Higher rate of infection in the treated group was significantly seen among unvaccinated patients. Our preliminary results suggests that in LMIC's, where "off label therapies" with inexpensive immunosuppressives are the main disease modifying drugs, mRNA vaccinations appear safe and effective against severe COVID-19 infection.