Attitude towards COVID-19 vaccination among healthcare workers: a cross sectional study from Egypt.

BACKGROUND: Herd immunity is necessary to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Vaccination is the fastest and safest pandemic control strategy. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are essential in providing vaccination information. The aim of this study was to assess intent to be vaccinated against COVID-19 among HCWs in Egypt and to determine the factors that may influence their decision. METHODS: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted among HCWs who care for patients in several hospitals in Delta region, Egypt. The questionnaire included sociodemographic, clinical, and occupational data, intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and beliefs and attitudes towards COVID-19 and its vaccination. RESULTS: The study included 455 HCWs with a mean age of 36.55 years (SD = 10.31) and 80% were females. The acceptance rate for the COVID-19 vaccine was 70.5%, while hesitancy and resistancy were both 17.6 and 11.9% respectively. About one-third (33.4%) of the subjects had previously contracted COVID-19. Most participants believed that they had a higher risk of contracting COVID-19 (71.6%). More than 64% believed they were at risk for vaccination side effects. Fear of infection and being at high risk of infection were the main drivers for COVID-19 vaccination, while the major barriers were waiting for additional experience with these new vaccines and having doubts about the vaccines' efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: The acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccination among HCWs is very high. This crucial group needs to be the focus of educational initiatives and campaigns designed to increase public awareness of the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination.

Screening for Subclinical Interstitial Lung Disease in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients: Functional and Radiological Methods.

OBJECTIVE: Interstitial lung disease is the most frequent lung symptom of rheumatoid arthritis and is a significant contributor to morbid- ity. As a result, the target of this research was to measure the frequency of radiological and functional abnormalities in rheumatoid arthritis patients who did not have any respiratory symptoms. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study consists of 30 patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. All involved cases were exposed to entire history taking and clinical examination. All patients were examined by high-resolution computed tomography and pulmonary function tests. RESULTS: According to the computed tomography visual score, 73.3% showed interstitial lung disease. The most common abnormalities were reticular patterns (46.7%) followed by nodular patterns (40%) and septal lines (23.3%). However, 36% of the patients had a normal pulmonary function, while 32% had a small airway affection, 20% had restrictive lung disease, and 12% had obstructive lung disease. A significant association was found between supine expiratory volume and computed tomography visual score. Results showed no associa- tion between interstitial lung disease and all lung function test parameters. CONCLUSION: Subclinical interstitial lung disease is frequent among rheumatoid arthritis patents. A combination of pulmonary func- tion tests with computed tomography is essential to enhance the recognition of subclinical interstitial lung disease as normal pulmonary function alone cannot exclude its presence.

Egyptian community pharmacists' attitudes and practices towards antibiotic dispensing and antibiotic resistance; a cross-sectional survey in Greater Cairo.

BACKGROUND: Antibiotic resistance is an increasing worldwide crisis. In Egypt, it is prohibited by law to dispense antibiotics with no prescription; however, there are no active and enforced governmental policies and laws to regulate such a process. This has led to increased antibiotic dispensing and consumption. AIMS: To assess some basic knowledge and attitudes towards antibiotic resistance and the practice of antibiotic dispensing among Egyptian community pharmacists in Greater Cairo. METHODOLOGY: An observational cross-sectional self-administrated survey targeting licensed community pharmacists in Greater Cairo, Egypt. The survey was validated by both face and content validation. RESULTS: Exactly 531 pharmacists were invited to join the survey, and only 461 pharmacists agreed to participate. Approximately half of the participants (51.2%) were considered to have good basic knowledge regarding antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance. The majority (74%) of the respondents strongly agreed that antibiotics are over-prescribed in Egypt, and almost all of them (90%) were hoping the Ministry of Health could publish guidelines for antibiotic dispensing in Egypt. Male pharmacists were more likely to engage and communicate with either patient or prescriber during the antibiotic dispensing process compared to females. CONCLUSION: The Egyptian Ministry of Health should regulate and monitor the process of dispensing antibiotics without a prescription with law enforcements. Moreover, community pharmacists should have more awareness on the consequences of the problem of antibiotic dispensing without a prescription, regardless of the business profit behind it.