COVID-19 pandemic: determinants of workplace preventive practice among primary healthcare workers in Sabah, Malaysia.

INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 pandemic has placed the entire world, including Malaysia in a state of fear. The rising burden on healthcare facilities has put healthcare workers consistently at risk of healthcare-associated infection. We sought to identify determinants of preventive practice against COVID-19 at work among primary healthcare professionals in Sabah, Malaysia. METHOD: This was a cross-sectional study involving healthcare workers of the Penampang and Putatan districts of Sabah, Malaysia. A total of 167 health professionals from primary healthcare settings took part in this study via a self-administered questionnaire from November 2020 until January 2021. Independent t-test and Analysis of Variance were used to determine differences in preventive practice for categorical independent variables. Pearson product-moment correlation was applied to assess the relationship between Job Satisfaction, burnout, and preventive practice. Subsequently, predictors of preventive practice at work among healthcare workers in Sabah were identified through Binomial Logistic Regression. RESULTS: The prevalence of good preventive practice among health professionals at work was 71.3%. There was no difference in preventive practice between professions. Almost all participants reported having good personal protective equipment compliance and hand hygiene practice at work. Marital status (AOR = 4.170, 95% CI = 1.787, 9.733; p = 0.001), average sleep hours (AOR = 1.775, 95% CI = 1.144, 2.754; p = 0.01), and pandemic-related burnout (AOR = 0.905, 95% CI = 0.847, 0.967; p = 0.003) were identified as significant predictors of preventive practice at primary healthcare facilities. CONCLUSIONS: The outcome of this study is beneficial to the healthcare organization. It can serve as a useful guide to tackle issues related to poor preventive practice against COVID-19 at work for health professionals.

Polio Supplementary Immunization Activities During COVID-19 Pandemic: Experience from Penampang District, Sabah, Malaysia.

BACKGROUND: Polio Supplementary Immunization Activities (SIAs) were carried out in the State of Sabah in response to the Vaccine Derived Poliovirus outbreak declared in December 2019. Prior to this, Malaysia had been polio-free over the past 27 years. This paper reported on the successful implementation of SIAs in the district of Penampang, Sabah, adapting (vaccine administration) to the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A series of meticulous planning, healthcare staff training, advocacy, and community engagement activities were conducted by the Penampang District Health Office. Bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (bOPV) and monovalent Oral Polio Vaccine were administered over the period of 1 year via these methods: house to house, drive-through, static, and mobile posts. The targeted group was 22 096 children aged 13 years and below. RESULTS: Polio SIAs in Penampang managed to achieve more than 90% coverage for both bOPV and mOPV. The overall vaccine wastage was reported to be 1.63%. No major adverse reaction was reported. CONCLUSION: High vaccine uptake during Polio SIAs in Penampang was attributed to good inter-agency collaboration, community engagement, intensified health promotion activities, and drive-through vaccination campaign.