Browsing by Subject "Omicron variant"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    COVID-19 in Southeast Asia: current status and perspectives
    (Taylor & Francis, 2022) Chu, Dinh-Toi; Vu Ngoc, Suong-Mai; Vu Thi, Hue; Thi, Yen-Vy Nguyen; Ho, Thuy-Tien; Hoang, Van-Thuan; Singh, Vijai; Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar A.; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) has spread globally with catastrophic damages to the public health, social and economy since the beginning of the outbreak. In 2020, Southeast Asia proved that it could prevent the worst effects of a pandemic through the closure of activities and borders and movement restriction, as well as social distancing. Nevertheless, with the occurrence of the common variants of concern (VOCs), especially Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), Delta (B.1.617.2), Southeast Asia is facing a significant increase in the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections. Now, the area also has the threats of the spreading out of the dangerous variant - Omicron (B.1.1.529) from other close countries or regions. COVID-19 countermeasures such as closures and social distancing seem to be insufficient. Moreover, Southeast Asia is being held back by a shortage of vaccines and other medical resources. This work focuses on describing the COVID-19 situation, the virus variants, and the coverage of COVID-19 vaccination in the area. We also provide perspectives on the COVID-19 vaccine distribution, protecting the economic capitals, developing the green zone, and the importance of finding more vaccine supplies in Southeast Asia.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Effectiveness of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines Against COVID-19–Associated Hospitalizations Among Immunocompromised Adults During SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Predominance — VISION Network, 10 States, December 2021—August 2022
    (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2022-10-21) Britton, Amadea; Embi, Peter J.; Levy, Matthew E.; Gaglani, Manjusha; DeSilva, Malini B.; Dixon, Brian E.; Dascomb, Kristin; Patel, Palak; Schrader, Kristin E.; Klein, Nicola P.; Ong, Toan C.; Natarajan, Karthik; Hartmann, Emily; Kharbanda, Anupam B.; Irving, Stephanie A.; Dickerson, Monica; Dunne, Margaret M.; Raiyani, Chandni; Grannis, Shaun J.; Stenehjem, Edward; Zerbo, Ousseny; Rao, Suchitra; Han, Jungmi; Sloan-Aagard, Chantel; Griggs, Eric P.; Weber, Zachary A.; Murthy, Kempapura; Fadel, William F.; Grisel, Nancy; McEvoy, Charlene; Lewis, Ned; Barron, Michelle A.; Nanez, Juan; Reese, Sarah E.; Mamawala, Mufaddal; Valvi, Nimish R.; Arndorfer, Julie; Goddard, Kristin; Yang, Duck-Hye; Fireman, Bruce; Ball, Sarah W.; Link-Gelles, Ruth; Naleway, Allison L.; Tenforde, Mark W.; Biomedical Engineering and Informatics, Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Healthcare Workers’ SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant Uncertainty-Related Stress, Resilience, and Coping Strategies during the First Week of the World Health Organization’s Alert
    (MDPI, 2022-02) Temsah, Mohamad-Hani; Alenezi, Shuliweeh; Alarabi, Mohammed; Aljamaan, Fadi; Alhasan, Khalid; Assiri, Rasha; Bassrawi, Rolan; Alshahrani, Fatimah; Alhaboob, Ali; Alaraj, Ali; Alharbi, Nasser S.; Alrabiaah, Abdulkarim; Halwani, Rabih; Jamal, Amr; Abdulmajeed, Naif; Alfarra, Lina; Almashdali, Wafa; Al-Eyadhy, Ayman; AlZamil, Fahad; Alsubaie, Sarah; Barry, Mazin; Memish, Ziad A.; Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar A.; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Background: As the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant emerged and spread globally at an alarming speed, healthcare workers’ (HCWs) uncertainties, worries, resilience, and coping strategies warranted assessment. The COVID-19 pandemic had a severe psychological impact on HCWs, including the development of Post-Traumatic Stress symptoms. Specific subgroups of HCWs, such as front-line and female workers, were more prone to poor mental health outcomes and difficulties facing stress. Methods: The responses to an online questionnaire among HCWs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) were collected from 1 December 2021 to 6 December 2021, aiming to assess their uncertainties, worries, resilience, and coping strategies regarding the Omicron variant. Three validated instruments were used to achieve the study’s goals: the Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS), the Standard Stress Scale (SSS), and the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS)—Short Form. Results: The online survey was completed by 1285 HCWs. Females made up the majority of the participants (64%). A total of 1285 HCW’s completed the online survey from all regions in KSA. Resilient coping scored by the BRCS was negatively and significantly correlated with stress as scored by the SSS (r = −0.313, p < 0.010). Moreover, intolerance of uncertainty scored by the IUS positively and significantly correlated with stress (r = 0.326, p < 0.010). Increased stress levels were linked to a considerable drop in resilient coping scores. Furthermore, being a Saudi HCW or a nurse was linked to a significant reduction in resilient coping ratings. Coping by following healthcare authorities’ preventative instructions and using the WHO website as a source of information was linked to a considerable rise in resilient coping. Conclusions: The negative association between resilient coping and stress was clearly shown, as well as how underlying intolerance of uncertainty is linked to higher stress among HCWs quickly following the development of a new infectious threat. The study provides early insights into developing and promoting coping strategies for emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Real-world Effectiveness of BNT162b2 Against Infection and Severe Diseases in Children and Adolescent
    (medRxiv, 2023-11-13) Wu, Qiong; Tong, Jiayi; Zhang, Bingyu; Zhang, Dazheng; Chen, Jiajie; Lei, Yuqing; Lu, Yiwen; Wang, Yudong; Li, Lu; Shen, Yishan; Xu, Jie; Bailey, L. Charles; Bian, Jiang; Christakis, Dimitri A.; Fitzgerald, Megan L.; Hirabayashi, Kathryn; Jhaveri, Ravi; Khaitan, Alka; Lyu, Tianchen; Rao, Suchitra; Razzaghi, Hanieh; Schwenk, Hayden T.; Wang, Fei; Witvliet, Margot I.; Tchetgen Tchetgen, Eric J.; Morris, Jeffrey S.; Forrest, Christopher B.; Chen, Yong; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Background: The efficacy of the BNT162b2 vaccine in pediatrics was assessed by randomized trials before the Omicron variant's emergence. The long-term durability of vaccine protection in this population during the Omicron period remains limited. Objective: To assess the effectiveness of BNT162b2 in preventing infection and severe diseases with various strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in previously uninfected children and adolescents. Design: Comparative effectiveness research accounting for underreported vaccination in three study cohorts: adolescents (12 to 20 years) during the Delta phase, children (5 to 11 years) and adolescents (12 to 20 years) during the Omicron phase. Setting: A national collaboration of pediatric health systems (PEDSnet). Participants: 77,392 adolescents (45,007 vaccinated) in the Delta phase, 111,539 children (50,398 vaccinated) and 56,080 adolescents (21,180 vaccinated) in the Omicron period. Exposures: First dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine vs. no receipt of COVID-19 vaccine. Measurements: Outcomes of interest include documented infection, COVID-19 illness severity, admission to an intensive care unit (ICU), and cardiac complications. The effectiveness was reported as (1-relative risk)*100% with confounders balanced via propensity score stratification. Results: During the Delta period, the estimated effectiveness of BNT162b2 vaccine was 98.4% (95% CI, 98.1 to 98.7) against documented infection among adolescents, with no significant waning after receipt of the first dose. An analysis of cardiac complications did not find an increased risk after vaccination. During the Omicron period, the effectiveness against documented infection among children was estimated to be 74.3% (95% CI, 72.2 to 76.2). Higher levels of effectiveness were observed against moderate or severe COVID-19 (75.5%, 95% CI, 69.0 to 81.0) and ICU admission with COVID-19 (84.9%, 95% CI, 64.8 to 93.5). Among adolescents, the effectiveness against documented Omicron infection was 85.5% (95% CI, 83.8 to 87.1), with 84.8% (95% CI, 77.3 to 89.9) against moderate or severe COVID-19, and 91.5% (95% CI, 69.5 to 97.6)) against ICU admission with COVID-19. The effectiveness of the BNT162b2 vaccine against the Omicron variant declined after 4 months following the first dose and then stabilized. The analysis revealed a lower risk of cardiac complications in the vaccinated group during the Omicron variant period. Limitations: Observational study design and potentially undocumented infection. Conclusions: Our study suggests that BNT162b2 was effective for various COVID-19-related outcomes in children and adolescents during the Delta and Omicron periods, and there is some evidence of waning effectiveness over time.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant: Exploring Healthcare Workers' Awareness and Perception of Vaccine Effectiveness: A National Survey During the First Week of WHO Variant Alert
    (Frontiers Media, 2022-03-25) Temsah, Mohamad-Hani; Aljamaan, Fadi; Alenezi, Shuliweeh; Alhasan, Khalid; Alrabiaah, Abdulkarim; Assiri, Rasha; Bassrawi, Rolan; Alhaboob, Ali; Alshahrani, Fatimah; Alarabi, Mohammed; Alaraj, Ali; Alharbi, Nasser S.; Halwani, Rabih; Jamal, Amr; Al-Eyadhy, Ayman; AbdulMajeed, Naif; Alfarra, Lina; Almashdali, Wafa; Fayed, Amel; Alzamil, Fahad; Barry, Mazin; Memish, Ziad A.; Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar A.; Alsubaie, Sarah; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Background: As the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant spreads in several countries, healthcare workers' (HCWs) perceptions and worries regarding vaccine effectiveness and boosters warrant reassessment. Methods: An online questionnaire among HCWs in Saudi Arabia (KSA) was distributed from Dec 1st-6th 2021 to assess their perceptions, vaccine advocacy to the Omicron variant, and their perception of the effectiveness of infection prevention measures and vaccination to prevent its spread, their Omicron variant related worries in comparison to the other variants, and their agreement with mandatory vaccination in general for adults. Results: Among the 1,285 HCW participants, two-thirds were female, 49.8 % were nurses, 46.4% were physicians, and 50.0% worked in tertiary care hospitals. 66.9% considered vaccination to be the most effective way to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant and future variants. The respondents however perceived social distancing (78.0%), universal masking (77.8%), and avoiding unnecessary travel (71.4%) as slightly superior to vaccination to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants. HCWs aging 55 or older agreed significantly with vaccine ineffectiveness to control Omicron spread, while those who believed in non-pharmacological infection prevention measures agreed significantly with vaccination for that purpose. Male HCWs had a significant agreement with mandatory vaccination of all eligible adult populations. On the other hand, unwilling HCWs to receive the vaccine had strong disagreements with mandatory vaccination. Conclusions: The current study in the first week of Omicron showed that only two-thirds of HCWs felt that vaccination was the best option to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant, indicating the need for further motivation campaigns for vaccination and booster dose. HCWs had a strong belief in infection prevention measures to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants that should be encouraged and augmented.