Disparities in Influenza, Pneumococcal, COVID-19 Vaccine Coverage in High-Risk Adults 19 to 64 Years of Age in Southeastern Minnesota, 2010-2021.

BACKGROUND: Despite effective vaccines against influenza, pneumococcus, and COVID-19, uptake has been suboptimal. RESEARCH QUESTION: Although disparities in vaccination by race and ethnicity have been observed, what is the role of other sociodemographic in US vaccine uptake? STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: We conducted a population-based study using the Rochester Epidemiology Project (REP), a comprehensive medical records linkage system, to assess effects of sociodemographic factors including race, ethnicity, individual-level socioeconomic status (SES) via the housing-based socioeconomic status index, education, population density (urban or nonurban), and marital status with uptake of influenza, pneumococcal, and COVID-19 vaccination in high-risk adults. Adults at high risk of invasive pneumococcal disease residing in four counties in southeastern Minnesota who were 19 to 64 years of age were identified. Vaccination data were obtained from the Minnesota Immunization Information Connection and REP from January 1, 2010, through December 31, 2021. RESULTS: We identified 45,755 residents. Most were White (82%), non-Hispanic (94%), married (56%), and living in an urban setting (81%), with three-quarters obtaining at least some college education (74%). Although 45.1% were up-to-date on pneumococcal vaccines, 60.1% had completed the primary COVID-19 series. For influenza and COVID-19, higher SES, living in an urban setting, older age, and higher education positively correlated with vaccination. Magnitude of differences in race, education, and SES widened with booster vaccines. INTERPRETATION: This high-risk population is undervaccinated against preventable respiratory diseases, especially influenza and pneumococcus. Although national data reported improvement of disparities in COVID-19 vaccination uptake observed early in the pandemic, our data demonstrated gaps related to race, education level, SES, and age that widened with booster vaccines. Communities with high social vulnerabilities often show increased risk of severe disease outcomes, yet demonstrate lower uptake of preventive services. This highlights the need to understand better vaccine compliance and access in rural, lower SES, less-educated, Black, Hispanic, and younger populations, each of which were associated independently with decreased vaccination.

Critical Care Staffing in Pandemics and Disasters: A Consensus Report From a Subcommittee of the Task Force for Mass Critical Care - Systems Strategies to Sustain the Health Care Workforce.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented mental health disturbances, burnout, and moral distress among health care workers, affecting their ability to care for themselves and their patients. RESEARCH QUESTION: In health care workers, what are key systemic factors and interventions impacting mental health and burnout? STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The Workforce Sustainment subcommittee of the Task Force for Mass Critical Care (TFMCC) utilized a consensus development process, incorporating evidence from literature review with expert opinion through a modified Delphi approach to determine factors affecting mental health, burnout, and moral distress in health care workers, to propose necessary actions to help prevent these issues and enhance workforce resilience, sustainment, and retention. RESULTS: Consolidation of evidence gathered from literature review and expert opinion resulted in 197 total statements that were synthesized into 14 major suggestions. These suggestions were organized into three categories: (1) mental health and well-being for staff in medical settings; (2) system-level support and leadership; and (3) research priorities and gaps. Suggestions include both general and specific occupational interventions to support health care worker basic physical needs, lower psychological distress, reduce moral distress and burnout, and foster mental health and resilience. INTERPRETATION: The Workforce Sustainment subcommittee of the TFMCC offers evidence-informed operational strategies to assist health care workers and hospitals plan, prevent, and treat the factors affecting health care worker mental health, burnout, and moral distress to improve resilience and retention following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Disparities in vaccination rates in solid organ transplant patients.

INTRODUCTION: Vaccinations against preventable respiratory infections such as Streptococcus pneumoniae and influenza are important in immunosuppressed solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients. Little is known about the role of age, race, ethnicity, sex, and sociodemographic factors including rurality, or socioeconomic status (SES) associated with vaccine uptake in this population. METHODS: We conducted a population-based study using the Rochester Epidemiology Project, a medical records linkage system, to assess socioeconomic and demographic factors associated with influenza and pneumococcal vaccination rates among adult recipients of solid organ transplantation (aged 19-64 years) living in four counties in southeastern Minnesota. Vaccination data were obtained from the Minnesota Immunization Information Connection from June 1, 2010 to June 30, 2020. Vaccination rate was assessed with Poisson and logistic regression models. RESULTS: A total of 468 SOT recipients were identified with an overall vaccination rate of 57%-63% for influenza and 56% for pneumococcal vaccines. As expected, vaccination for pneumococcal vaccine positively correlated with influenza vaccination. Rural patients had decreased vaccination in both compared to urban patients, even after adjusting for age, sex, race, ethnicity, and SES. Although the population was mostly White and non-Hispanic, neither vaccination differed by race or ethnicity, but influenza vaccination did by SES. Among organ transplant groups, liver and lung recipients were least vaccinated for influenza, and heart recipients were least up-to-date on pneumococcal vaccines. CONCLUSIONS: Rates of vaccination were below national goals. Rurality was associated with undervaccination. Further investigation is needed to understand and address barriers to vaccination among transplant recipients.

Smoking Behaviors Among Indigenous Pregnant People Compared to a Matched Regional Cohort.

INTRODUCTION: Smoking commercial tobacco products is highly prevalent in American Indian and Alaska Native (Indigenous) pregnancies. This disparity directly contributes to maternal and fetal mortality. Our objective was to describe cigarette smoking prevalence, cessation intervention uptake, and cessation behaviors of pregnant Indigenous people compared to sex and age-matched regional cohort. AIMS AND METHODS: Pregnancies from an Indigenous cohort in Olmsted County, Minnesota, identified in the Rochester Epidemiology Project, were compared to pregnancies identified in a sex and age-matched non-Indigenous cohort from 2006 to 2019. Smoking status was defined as current, former, or never. All pregnancies were reviewed to identify cessation interventions and cessation events. The primary outcome was smoking prevalence during pregnancy, with secondary outcomes measuring uptake of smoking cessation interventions and cessation. RESULTS: The Indigenous cohort included 57 people with 81 pregnancies, compared to 226 non-Indigenous people with 358 pregnancies. Smoking was identified during 45.7% of Indigenous pregnancies versus 11.2% of non-Indigenous pregnancies (RR: 3.25, 95% CI = 1.98-5.31, p ≤ .0001). Although there was no difference in uptake of cessation interventions between cohorts, smoking cessation was significantly less likely during Indigenous pregnancies compared to non-Indigenous pregnancies (OR: 0.23, 95% CI = 0.07-0.72, p = .012). CONCLUSIONS: Indigenous pregnant people in Olmsted County, Minnesota were more than three times as likely to smoke cigarettes during pregnancy compared to the non-indigenous cohort. Despite equivalent uptake of cessation interventions, Indigenous people were less likely to quit than non-Indigenous people. Understanding why conventional smoking cessation interventions were ineffective at promoting cessation during pregnancy among Indigenous women warrants further study. IMPLICATIONS: Indigenous pregnant people in Olmsted County, Minnesota, were greater than three times more likely to smoke during pregnancy compared to a regional age matched non-Indigenous cohort. Although Indigenous and non-Indigenous pregnant people had equivalent uptake of cessation interventions offered during pregnancy, Indigenous people were significantly less likely to quit smoking before fetal delivery. This disparity in the effectiveness of standard of care interventions highlights the need for further study to understand barriers to cessation in pregnant Indigenous people.

Indigenous Smoking Behaviors in Olmsted County, Minnesota: A Longitudinal Population-Based Study.

OBJECTIVE: To describe smoking behaviors and pharmaceutical cessation aid uptake in a population-based Indigenous cohort compared with an age- and sex-matched non-Indigenous cohort. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Using the health record-linkage system of the Rochester Epidemiology Project (January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2019), smoking data of Indigenous residents of Olmsted County in Minnesota were abstracted to define the smoking prevalence, incidence, cessation, relapse after cessation, and pharmaceutical smoking cessation aid uptake compared with a matched non-Indigenous cohort. Prevalence was analyzed with a modified Poisson regression; cessation and relapse were evaluated with generalized estimating equations. Incidence was evaluated with a Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: Smoking prevalence was higher in the Indigenous cohort (39.0% to 47.0%; n=898) than the matched cohort (25.6% to 30.3%; n=1780). Pharmaceutical uptake was higher among the Indigenous cohort (35.8% of n=584 ever smokers vs 16.3% of n=778 ever smokers; P<.001). Smoking cessation events occurred more frequently in the Indigenous cohort (relative risk, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.06 to 1.13; P<.001). Indigenous former smokers were more likely to resume smoking (relative risk, 3.03; 95% CI, 2.93 to 3.14; P<.001) compared with the matched cohort. These findings were independent of socioeconomic status, age, and sex. CONCLUSION: Smoking in this Indigenous cohort was more prevalent compared with a sex- and age-matched non-Indigenous cohort despite more smoking cessation events and higher use of smoking cessation aids in the Indigenous cohort. The relapse rate after achieving cessation in the Indigenous cohort was more than three times higher than the non-Indigenous cohort. This finding has not been previously described and represents a potential target for relapse prevention efforts in US Indigenous populations.

Association of COVID-19 antigenicity with the development of antineutrophilic cytoplasmic antibody vasculitis.

Inflammatory processes, such as an infection or drug reaction, can cause antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV). Although quite rare, AAV may occur with SARS-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) antigenic exposure, either from infection or immunization. We present two cases of AAV: one that developed after COVID-19 infection presenting as diffuse alveolar haemorrhage and another that developed shortly after vaccination, presenting as granulomatous pulmonary nodules. Both patients improved with supportive care and immunosuppressive therapies. This adverse event appears to be a very rare complication of COVID-19 infection or vaccination. Early diagnosis of AAV is important because immunosuppressive therapy may improve patient outcomes.

Evaluating the benefits of home-based management of atrial fibrillation: current perspectives.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia worldwide, leading to an extensive public health and economic burden. The increasing incidence and prevalence of AF is due to the advancing age of the population, structural heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and thyroid disease. The majority of costs associated with AF have been attributed to the cost of hospitalization. In order to minimize costs and decrease hospitalizations, counseling on modifiable risk factors contributing to AF has been strongly emphasized. With the release of novel oral anticoagulants bypassing the need for anticoagulant bridging or laboratory monitoring, post-discharge nurse-led home intervention, and novel methods of heart rate monitoring, home-based AF management has reached a new level of ease and sophistication. In this review, we aimed to review modifiable risk factors for AF and various methods of home-based management of AF, along with their benefits.