Turk J Immunol. 2022; 10(2): 77-87 | DOI: 10.4274/tji.galenos.2022.63935

Fear of COVID-19 among Healthcare Workers of a Tertiary Care Cardiac Facility Before- and After-Vaccination and Serology

Jehangir Ali Shah¹, Ali Ammar¹, Waqar Khan¹, Rajesh Kumar¹, Farheen Ali¹, Shahid Ahmed¹, Mehwish Zehra², Jawaid Akbar Sial¹, Tahir Saghir¹, Zahid Ur Rehman^1
1National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), Karachi, Pakistan
²Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Center (JPMC), Karachi, Pakistan

Objective: This study aimed to assess the changes in the perceptions and practices during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) era before and after vaccination and antibodies titer among the healthcare workers (HCWs) at a tertiary care cardiac center.
Materials and Methods: This descriptive study included HCWs working at a tertiary care cardiac center in Karachi, Pakistan. A predefined structured questionnaire was used to assess the sense of security, practice, and perception of the HCWs before vaccination, after vaccination, and after knowing the antibodies titer.
Results: Out of 151 HCWs, 70.2% (106) were male, and a majority, 65.6% (99), were ≤35 years old with an overall mean age of 34.92 ± 7.64 years. Nearly half of the individuals, (n=74; 49%), were doctors, 10 individuals (6.6%) were non-clinical staff, and reaming were nursing staff. The mean day since COVID-19 vaccination was 89.6 ± 40.07 before COVID-19 infection. Antibodies titer levels were >250 U/mL in 108 cases (71.5%) and ≤100 U/mL in 18 cases (11.8%). A significant increase in perception score was observed after serology with a mean of 61.04 ± 25.23 vs 53.86 ± 28.96; (p=0.008) compared to the post-vaccination perception score. A significant declining trend has been witnessed in mean practice scores, with a pre-vaccination mean of 69.93 ± 27.12, post-vaccination mean of 59.47 ± 30.61 (p<0.001). And post-serology mean of 55.1 ± 27.1 (p<0.001).
Conclusion: An increase in the sense of security and leniency in adherence to personal protective measures has been observed among HCWs after vaccination and after knowing the antibodies titer.

Keywords: COVID-19, healthcare workers, vaccination, serology, perception, practice

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Üçüncü Basamak Bir Kalp Merkezinin Saðlýk Çalýþanlarý Arasýnda Aþýlama Öncesi ve Sonrasý COVID-19 Korkusu ve Seroloji

Jehangir Ali Shah¹, Ali Ammar¹, Waqar Khan¹, Rajesh Kumar¹, Farheen Ali¹, Shahid Ahmed¹, Mehwish Zehra², Jawaid Akbar Sial¹, Tahir Saghir¹, Zahid Ur Rehman^1
1National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), Karachi, Pakistan
²Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Center (JPMC), Karachi, Pakistan

Amaç: Bu çalýþmada, üçüncü basamak bir kalp merkezindeki saðlýk çalýþanlarý arasýnda koronavirüs hastalýðý-2019 (COVID-19) döneminde aþýlama öncesi ve sonrasý algý ve uygulamalardaki deðiþikliklerinin ve antikor titrelerinin deðerlendirilmesi amaçlanmýþtýr.
Gereç ve Yöntem: Bu tanýmlayýcý çalýþma, Pakistan, Karaçi’deki üçüncü basamak bir kalp merkezindeki saðlýk çalýþanlarýný içermektedir. Saðlýk çalýþanlarýnýn aþýlamadan önce, aþýlamadan sonra ve antikor titresini öðrendikten sonra güvenlik hissi, uygulama ve algýlarýný deðerlendirmek için önceden tanýmlanmýþ yapýlandýrýlmýþ bir anket kullanýlmýþtýr.
Bulgular: Yüz elli bir saðlýk çalýþanýnýn %70.2 (n=106) erkek ve katýlýmcýlarýn çoðunluðu, %65.6 (n=99) 35 yaþýnda ya da daha geç yaþtaydý ve ortalama yaþ 34.92 ± 7.64 yýl olarak saptandý. Neredeyse yarýsý, (n=74; %49) hekim ve %6.6 (n=10) klinik dýþý personel, geri kalan kiþiler hasta bakým personeli görevindeydi. Önceki COVID-19 enfeksiyonu, doðasý gereði 10 kiþide (%6.6) ciddi, 1 kiþide (%0.7) kritik olmak üzere 62 kiþide (%41.1) rapor edilmiþtir. COVID-19 aþýlamasýndan bu yana geçen ortalama gün sayýsý 89.6 ± 40.07 ve 11 kiþide (%7.3) aþýlama sonrasý COVID-19 bildirildi. Antikor titre seviyeleri 108 kiþide (%71.5) >250 U/mL ve 18 kiþide ise (%11.9) ≤100 U/mL ve altýnda saptandý. Aþýlama sonrasý algý puaný ile karþýlaþtýrýldýðýnda algý skorunda seroloji sonrasý ortalama 61.04 ± 25.23 ile 53.86 ± 28.96 arasýnda anlamlý bir artýþ gözlendi (p=0.008). Aþýlama öncesi ortalama 69.93 ± 27.12, aþýlama sonrasý ortalama 59.47 ± 30.61 (p<0.001) ve seroloji sonrasý 55.1 ± 27.1 olmak üzere (p<0.001) olan ortalama uygulama puanlarýnda önemli bir düþüþ eðilimi görülmüþtür.
Sonuç: Saðlýk çalýþanlarý arasýnda aþýlamadan sonra ve antikor titresini öðrendikten sonra güvenlik hissi ve kiþisel koruyucu önlemlere uyumda hoþgörünün arttýðý gözlemlenmiþtir.

Anahtar Kelimeler: COVID-19, saðlýk çalýþanlarý, aþýlama, seroloji, algý, uygulama

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