Red Cell Distribution Width as a Prognostic Indicator for Mortality and ICU Admission in Patients with COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus can lead to an acute respiratory illness with a high hospitalization and mortality risk. Therefore, prognostic indicators are essential for early interventions. As a component of complete blood counts, the coefficient of variation (CV) of red blood cell distribution width (RDW) reflects cellular volume variations. It has been shown that RDW is associated with increased mortality risk in a wide range of diseases. This study aimed to determine the relationship between RDW and mortality risk in COVID-19 patients. METHODS: This retrospective study was performed on 592 patients admitted to hospital between February 2020 and December 2020. Patients were divided into low and high RDW groups and the relationship between RDW and mortality, intubation, admission to intensive care unit (ICU), and need for oxygen therapy was investigated. RESULTS: The mortality rate in the low RDW group was 9.4%, while that in the high group was 20% (p < 0.001). Also, ICU admission in the low group was 8%, whereas this was 10% in the high RDW group (p = 0.040). The results of the Kaplan-Meyer curve showed that the survival rate was higher in the low group compared to the high RDW group. Cox results in the crude model showed that higher RDW values were directly related to increased mortality, although this was not significant after adjustment for other covariates. CONCLUSION: The results of our study reveal that high RDW is associated with increased hospitalization and risk of death and that RDW may be a reliable indicator of COVID-19 prognosis.

Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccine and Related Factors in Iran: A Cross-sectional Study.

Introduction: One of the most important strategies to control COVID-19 pandemic is vaccination. Effective vaccination coverage is necessary to control this pandemic. Therefore, in this study we investigated acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine and associated factors among Iranian population. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted through Pors Line in South Khorasan Province of Iran. 1043 people participated in this study. Results were analyzed with SPSS software version 13. Results: 85.2% of the participants wanted to receive the vaccine. Vaccine acceptance was higher in participants that were over 41 years old. Moreover, rate of vaccine acceptance was higher in men than women. Major concern about vaccination was fear of its side effects. Vaccine acceptance increased with increasing education level. Conclusion: Results of this study showed that one of the most important reasons for vaccine rejection is the fear of vaccine side effects.