Antibody Responses to SARS-Cov-2 among Health Care Workers of a Tertiary Hospital in North-Eastern, Tanzania (preprint)

BackgroundHealth Care Workers (HCWs) have been playing crucial role in treating patient with COVID-19. They have a higher occupational risk of contracting the disease than the general population, and a greater chance of them transmitting the disease to vulnerable patients under their care. Given their scarcity and low COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in Africa, it is essential that HCWs are seroprotected and their exposure to COVID-19 minimized. This study was therefore designed to determine IgG antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 among HCWs in North Eastern, Tanzania. MethodologyThis was a cross-sectional study carried out among 273 HCWs at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC), a tertiary, zonal referral hospital in Tanzanias North Eastern region. Stratified sampling was used to select study participants. Data were obtained from each consenting participant using a validated questionnaire. Blood samples were collected for SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies quantification by using an indirect ELISA test. RedCap software was used to enter and manage data. Statistical analysis was done by using STATA statistical software version 15 and GraphPad Prism v 9.0. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered the cut-off for statistical significance. ResultsAmong 273 HCWS only 37.9 % reported to have received COVID-19 vaccine. Except for one person, all of the participants had SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody concentrations that were positive, with 64.5% of them having strong seropositivity. Female gender, allied health professionals, active smoking, COVID-19 patient interactions, COVID-19 vaccination receptivity, and adherence to recommended hand hygiene were found to be significant predictors of variation of median SARS-CoV-2 antibody concentration. The usage of personal protective equipment, history of previously testing PCR positive for COVID-19, the number of COVID-19 patient exposure and age were found to cause no significant variation in median antibody concentration among participants. ConclusionsThis study reports a high seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among healthcare workers in Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre. This suggests that HCWs have significant exposure to SARS-CoV-2 despite the low rate of vaccination acceptance even among HCWs. We recommend a strengthened Infectious Prevention and Control (IPC) in hospitals through provision of technical leadership and coordination according to WHO guidelines. We also recommend continued conduction of seroprevalence studies to estimate the magnitude and trends of SARS-CoV-2 infections in different populations in Tanzania. A better understanding of the past, current, and future transmission patterns of infectious pathogens is critical for preparedness and response planning, and to inform the optimal implementation of existing and novel interventions under the current and changing climate.

A community-based survey on COVID-19 Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices and Vaccination Hesitance in Moshi, Kilimanjaro Region, Northern Tanzania (preprint)

Background: The development of COVID-19 vaccinations has reignited optimism in many cultures devastated by the pandemic's tremendous loss of lives and livelihoods. Vaccination hesitancy (VH) is a critical and growing international problem in the global effort to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. To successfully handle VH concerns, it is necessary to understand the levels of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours on COVID-19. The purpose of this study was to collect data on COVID-19 knowledge, behaviours, and attitudes as an illness, as well as COVID-19 vaccine.Methods: In October 2021, a cross-sectional research with 232 participants was undertaken. A standardized interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. The majority of respondents in the present survey heard about COVID-19 between January and March 2020. Social media, news media, and news papers are the most effective sources of information on COVID-19, reaching 34.48% of the population. Basic COVID-19 knowledge was reported to be moderate. Nearly half of the respondents (48.3%) thought SARSCOV-2 was man-made, while 36.21% were unsure. Good preventive behaviours were indicated by 49.14% of subjects. Overall, we find that around 65% of people are reluctant to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Male gender, low education, and occupation (teachers, health care workers, and students) were shown to be more hesitant about vaccination. In this study, healthcare workers (HCWs) were averse to get COVID-19 vaccine. The reasons for vaccination hesitation were "unknown safety" of the vaccines (17.4%) and "unknown long term consequences" of the vaccines (18.97%). Almost a third (27.59%) of those interviewed said they had no intention of being vaccinated.Conclusion: We report moderate knowledge on COVID-19, as well as effective preventive practices, but negative attitudes regarding COVID-19 vaccination, resulting in low vaccination rates of 6.9%. Misinformation regarding COVID-19 appears to play a key role in vaccination reluctance.

Screening and Evaluation of Cytotoxicity and Antiviral Effects of Secondary Metabolites from Water Extracts of Bersama abyssinica against SARS-CoV-2 Delta (preprint)

BackgroundBersama abyssinica is widely distributed herb in Africa with varying medicinal uses in different countries. In Tanzania, the plant is famous for treatment of respiratory diseases including tuberculosis, tonsillitis, bronchitis, asthma and recently used for treatment Covid-19 symptoms. B. abyssinica is rich in several groups of active compounds including, phenolic acids, coumarins, flavonoids and tannins with potential pharmacological activities. Due to their broad medicinal uses, the water extract of leaf and stem bark has been registered as herbal medicine known as ‘Coviba Dawa’ for the treatment of viral and bacterial respiratory infections.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to extract active compounds from B.abyssinica, and analyse them for their effectiveness against Corona virus (SARS-CoV-2), the Delta variant obtained from Basel University thas is reported to be highly virulent.MethodsBersama abyssinica  stembark and leaves were air dried, sequentially extracted in various solvent on increase of polarity to yield extracts and fractions. The extracts were tested for presence of several metabolites and antioxidant activity.  The most active water extract was analyzed by LC-MS/MC for identification of active compounds and all extracts were shipped to Basel university for anti SARS-CoV-2  Delta B1screening and antiproliferation assay.Results The LC-MS/MS analysis of B. abyssinica water extract reveled the presence of four phenolic compounds namely; 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol, 4-formyl-2-methoxyphenyl propionate; 7,8-Dihydroxy-4-methylcoumarin and 2,3, 6-trimethoxyflavone. These compounds were revealed to have antioxidant activity and futher invitro analysis against SARS-CoV-2  Delta B1 revealed the antiviral activity against coronavirus. ConclusionThis study revealed a wide variety of active metabolites in B. abyssinica water extract with high antioxidant and antiviral activity which points out at B. abyssinica as a potential source of effective anti viral agents including anti SARS Cov2. We recommend further pre-clinical and clinical evaluation of B. abyssinica metabolites as potential antiviral and antibacterial agents.