COVID-19 Vaccination Status as Well as Factors Associated with COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance and Hesitancy among Prisoners and the Implications.

Prisoners form a population who are highly vulnerable to COVID-19 due to overcrowding, limited movement, and a poor living environment. Consequently, there is a need to ascertain the status of COVID-19 vaccination and factors associated with hesitancy among prisoners. A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was undertaken among prisoners at three district jails in Punjab Province, Pakistan. A total of 381 prisoners participated and none of the study participants had received an influenza vaccine this year. In total, 53% received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, with the majority having two doses. The top three reasons of vaccine acceptance were "fear of contracting SARS-CoV-2 infection" (56.9%), "desire to return to a pre-pandemic routine as soon as possible" (56.4%), and "having no doubts on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines" (39.6%). There was no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) in any demographic variables between vaccinated and unvaccinated prisoners except for age, which was strongly association with COVID-19 vaccine uptake (χ2(3) = 76.645, p < 0.001, Cramer's V = 0.457). Among the unvaccinated prisoners (N = 179), only 16 subsequently showed willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The top three reasons for hesitancy were: COVID-19 is not a real problem/disease (60.1%), safety concerns (51.1%), and COVID-19 vaccine is a conspiracy (50.3%). Efforts are needed to address their concerns given this population's risks and high hesitancy rates, especially among younger prisoners.

Intravenous Tranexamic acid versus placebo during Caesarian section: A comparative study.

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of Tranexamic Acid in preventing postpartum hemorrhage against placebo in high-risk women undergoing cesarean section. Methods: A double-blinded placebo-controlled comparative trial was conducted at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of Nishtar Hospital for one year, from 15th June 2020 to 15th June 2021. A total of 60 women who were at high risk of postpartum hemorrhage and had to undergo elective cesarean sections were included in the study. Among them, initial 30 patients were administered Tranexamic Acid before skin incision whereas later 30 were treated as the placebo group. These women were then observed for blood loss during surgery and within 24 hrs. after surgery and any postoperative complications such as thromboembolic events, the need for additional uterotonic agents, and blood transfusions. Results: Out of 60 women, 30 were placed in each group. The groups had no significant difference in terms of baseline data and post-partum hemorrhage-associated risk factors (p>0.05). However, the occurrence rate of primary post-partum hemorrhage (blood loss greater than 1000 ml) was significantly less in a tranexamic acid group than the placebo group (16.6% vs 60%, respectively, p<0.01). Similarly, the requirement of additional uterotonic agents (13.3% vs 43.3%, respectively) and the need for blood transfusion (6.0% vs 23.3%, respectively) was lower in a tranexamic group than in the placebo group. Conclusion: The study highlighted the significance of tranexamic acid in controlling post-partum hemorrhages, the requirement of additional uterotonic agents, improving post-partum hemoglobin, and the need for blood transfusion.