ABSTRACT
Objective To assess willingness for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine and identify the factors attributing to the willingness. Design A cross-sectional study was conducted, adopting an exponential, non-discriminative snowball sampling technique. The questionnaire collected the socio-demographic profile, history of COVID-19 infection, presence of co-morbidities (diabetes mellitus, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, cancer), willingness, and preference of vaccine among participants. An online platform (Google Forms) was used to collect data from all over India. A total of 2032 Indian adults aged above 18 years were included in the study. Results Around 1598 (78.6%) expressed willingness to receive the COVID vaccine, and among the healthcare providers (HCPs), 579 (80.3%) were willing for COVID vaccination. Factors like the belief that the vaccine is necessary (aOR=1.68, 95% CI =1.34 to 2.11), respondents having no history of COVID infection (aOR=0.71, 95% CI: 0.52 to 0.97), having trust in the government (aOR=6.09, CI: 4.59 to 7.98), people who felt the cost of the vaccine didn't matter (aOR=4.92, CI: 3.80 to 6.37), and respondents with no perceived risk of COVID infection (aOR=0.63; CI: 0.47 to 0.83) were more associated with willingness for COVID vaccination. Conclusions An effective vaccine should be well-received by the public. The responsibility lies with the government, health authorities, and manufacturers to take appropriate steps to dispel rumors in order to ensure people's understanding and acceptance.
ABSTRACT
Although the health care systems in Europe are considered the global benchmark, European nations were severely affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This manuscript aimed to examine the strategies implemented to combat the COVID-19 pandemic by France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Germany, and Russia and their outcomes in terms of the number of cases, testing, and deaths. This is the first review of its kind that extensively analyzes the preparedness, mitigation, and response strategies against the COVID-19 pandemic adopted by these nations. This paper further suggests a strategic preparedness model for future pandemics. From the analysis, we found that a decentralized approach, prompt decision-making and timely execution, coordination between local health authorities, and public participation in the implementation of strategies could substantially reduce the case fatality rate. Nations with a high percentage of gross domestic product invested in the health sector, as well as more nurses, physicians, hospital beds, intensive care unit beds, and ventilators, better managed the pandemic. Instead, nations that postponed their pandemic response by delaying tracking, tracing, testing, quarantine, and lockdown were badly affected. The lessons learned from the present pandemic could be used as a guide to prepare for further pandemics.
ABSTRACT
Although the health care systems in Europe are considered the global benchmark, European nations were severely affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This manuscript aimed to examine the strategies implemented to combat the COVID-19 pandemic by France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Germany, and Russia and their outcomes in terms of the number of cases, testing, and deaths. This is the first review of its kind that extensively analyzes the preparedness, mitigation, and response strategies against the COVID-19 pandemic adopted by these nations. This paper further suggests a strategic preparedness model for future pandemics. From the analysis, we found that a decentralized approach, prompt decision-making and timely execution, coordination between local health authorities, and public participation in the implementation of strategies could substantially reduce the case fatality rate. Nations with a high percentage of gross domestic product invested in the health sector, as well as more nurses, physicians, hospital beds, intensive care unit beds, and ventilators, better managed the pandemic. Instead, nations that postponed their pandemic response by delaying tracking, tracing, testing, quarantine, and lockdown were badly affected. The lessons learned from the present pandemic could be used as a guide to prepare for further pandemics.
