Healthcare workers' attitudes toward and factors influencing their acceptance of an annual COVID-19 booster vaccine: a cross-sectional study in Palestine.

BACKGROUND: The emergence of several SARS-CoV-2 variants may necessitate an annual COVID-19 booster vaccine. This study aimed to evaluate healthcare workers' (HCWs) acceptance of a COVID-19 yearly booster vaccine if recommended and its association with their attitudes and burnout levels. METHODS: We used an online self-administered questionnaire to conduct a cross-sectional study of all HCWs in the West Bank and Gaza Strip of Palestine between August and September 2022. We used the Vaccination Attitudes Examination scale to assess HCWs' vaccination attitudes and the Maslach Burnout Inventory to assess work-related Burnout. In addition, we conducted logistic regression to identify factors independently associated with the acceptance of the booster vaccine. RESULTS: The study included 919 HCWs; 52.4% were male, 46.5% were physicians, 30.0% were nurses, and 63.1% worked in hospitals. One-third of HCWs (95% CI: 30.5%-36.7%) said they would accept an annual COVID-19 booster vaccine if recommended. HCWs who are suspicious of vaccine benefits [aOR = .70; 95%CI: .65-.75] and those concerned about unforeseeable future effects [aOR = .90; 95%CI: .84-.95] are less likely to accept the booster vaccine if recommended, whereas those who receive annual influenza vaccine are more likely to get it [aOR = 2.9; 95%CI: 1.7-5.0]. CONCLUSION: Only about a third of HCWs would agree to receive an annual COVID-19 booster vaccine if recommended. Mistrust of the vaccine's efficacy and concerns about side effects continue to drive COVID-19 vaccine reluctance. Health officials need to address HCWs' concerns to increase their acceptance of the annual vaccine if it is to be recommended.

Perceived barriers to Palestinian pregnant women's acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination using the Health Believe Model: a cross-sectional study.

This study aims to explore pregnant women's attitudes to COVID-19 vaccination and determinants of vaccine acceptance. We conducted a cross-sectional study among pregnant women attending PHC clinics and hospitals in the West-bank of Palestine. We used an interviewer-administered questionnaire based on Health Belief Model. The study's primary outcome was COVID-19 vaccination acceptance. We used the Chi-square test to compare those who accepted the vaccine versus those who refused it and conducted binary logistic regression to explore independent determinants of vaccination acceptance. Among the 728 pregnant women who took part in the study, 20.7 percent showed positive attitudes (acceptance) toward COVID-19 vaccination. Employment (aOR 4.0; 95 percentCI: 2.2-7.3), a history of COVID-19 (aOR 1.9; 95 percentCI: 1.2-3.1), and having a relative who died from COVID-19 (aOR 2.3; 95 percentCI: 1.2-4.7) increased the likelihood of vaccine acceptance, as did vaccine perceived effectiveness (aOR 1.9; 95 percentCI: 1.2-3.2) and perceived protection from severe disease (aOR 2.0; 95 percentCI: 1.2-3.5). On the other hand, perceived limited access (aOR 0.540; 95 percentCI: 0.31-0.87) and perceived harm to the baby (aOR 0.346; 95 percentCI 0.22-0.54) remained the main barriers toward vaccine acceptance. In conclusion, pregnant women's acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine is unsatisfactory. Concerns about its effect on unborn babies were major barriers to vaccination.

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis presenting with intestinal obstruction: A case report.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Granulomatosis with polyangiitis is a rare vasculitis. The gastrointestinal symptoms and complications of the disease are rare in GPA patients. One the rarest is intestinal obstruction which when found was always caused by bowel perforation. CASE PRESENTATION: Here we report the case of a 14 years-old female patient who is a known case of granulomatosis with polyangiitis presented with intestinal obstruction without perforation and treated conservatively. DISCUSSION: Gastrointestinal involvement is seen in only 5-10 % of the cases and is a poor prognostic factor. This life-threatening complication could be caused by bowel perforation and as we describe here with bowel inflammation only without perforation. CONCLUSION: Intestinal obstruction without perforations is a new complication of GPA. And conservative management should be considered in the plan of treatment.