Students of the health sciences are the future frontliners to fight pandemics. The students’ participation in COVID-19 response varies across countries and are mostly for educational purposes. Understanding the determinants of COVID-19 vaccine acceptability is necessary for a successful vaccination program. This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among health sciences students in Northwest Nigeria. The study was an online self-administered cross-sectional study involving a survey among students of health sciences in some selected universities in Northwest Nigeria. The survey collected pertinent data from the students, including socio-demographic characteristics, risk perception for COVID-19, and willingness to accept the COVID-19 vaccine. Multiple logistic regression was used to determine the predictors of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. A total of 440 responses with a median (interquartile range) age of 23 (4.0) years were included in the study. The prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance was 40.0%. Factors that independently predict acceptance of the vaccine were age of 25 years and above (adjusted odds ratio, aOR, 2.72; 95% confidence interval, CI, 1.44–5.16; p = 0.002), instructions from heads of institutions (aOR, 11.71; 95% CI, 5.91–23.20; p<0.001), trust in the government (aOR, 20.52; 95% CI, 8.18–51.51; p<0.001) and willingness to pay for the vaccine (aOR, 7.92; 95% CI, 2.63–23.85; p<0.001). The prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among students of health sciences was low. Older age, mandate by heads of the institution, trust in the government and readiness to pay for the vaccine were associated with acceptance of the vaccine. Therefore, stakeholders should prioritize strategies that would maximize the vaccination uptake.

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ObjectiveWe aimed to provide an overview of the psychological status and behavioral consequences of the lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic in Libya.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among the Libyan population through May and June 2020 in more than 20 cities. The survey comprised basic demographic data of the participants and anxiety symptoms measured using the seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) with ≥15 as the cut-off score for clinically significant anxiety symptoms. Additionally, a survey regarding the lockdown effect was administered, which consisted of several parts, to measure the lockdown status.ResultsA total of 8084 responses were recorded, of which, 5090 (63%) were women and 2994 (37%) were men. The mean age (SD) for study participants was 27.2 (8.9) years. Among the participants, 1145 (14.2%) reached the cut-off score to detect anxiety symptoms; however, of the study variables, only five were predictors of clinically significant anxiety: age, gender, marital status, work status, being a financial supporter for the family, and being infected with COVID-19. Women had 1.19 times higher odds to exhibit anxiety symptoms than men. Increasing age was significantly associated with reduced likelihood of exhibiting anxiety symptoms, whereas being married was significantly associated with higher likelihood of anxiety symptoms, compared to not being married. Being suspended from work was associated with an increase in the likelihood of anxiety symptoms. However, we found that being infected with COVID-19 was associated with a 9.59 times higher risk of exhibiting severe anxiety symptoms. Among the study participants, 1451 (17.9%) reported a physical and/or verbal abuse episode from family members, 958 (11.9%) reported abuse outside the family, and 641 (7.9%) reported abuse from enforcers, during the lockdown.ConclusionOur study provided an overview of the psychological and behavioral status, among those who resided in Libya during the civil war and COVID-19 pandemic. The study demonstrates a concerningly high level of clinically significant anxiety during lockdown among the Libyan population during Libya’s lockdown period.

Background The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first reported in China and later spread rapidly to other parts of the world, including Africa. Africa was projected to be devastated by COVID-19. There is currently limited data regarding regional predictors of mortality among patients with COVID-19. This study aimed to evaluate the independent risk factors associated with mortality among patients with COVID-19 in Africa. Methods A total of 1028 confirmed cases of COVID-19 from Africa with definite survival outcomes were identified retrospectively from an open-access individual-level worldwide COVID-19 database. The live version of the dataset is available at https:// github.com/beoutbreakprepared/nCoV2019. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to determine the risk factors that independently predict mortality among patients with COVID-19 in Africa. Results Of the 1028 cases included in study, 432 (42.0%) were females with a median (interquartile range, IQR) age of 50 (24) years. Older age (adjusted odds ratio {aOR} 1.06; [95% confidence intervals {95% CI}, 1.04-1.08]), presence of chronic disease (aOR 9.63; [95% CI, 3.84-24.15]), travel history (aOR 2.44; [95% CI, 1.26-4.72]), as well as locations of Central Africa (aOR 0.14; [95% CI, 0.03-0.72]) and West Africa (aOR 0.12; [95% CI, 0.04-0.32]) were identified as the independent risk factors significantly associated with increased mortality among the patients with COVID-19. Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic is evolving gradually in Africa. Among patients with COVID-19 in Africa, older age, presence of chronic disease, travel history, and the locations of Central Africa and West Africa were associated with increased mortality. A regional response should prioritize strategies that will protect these populations. Also, conducting a further in-depth study could provide more insights into additional factors predictive of mortality in COVID-19 patients.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of anemia and its associated risk factors among final-year medical students at Sana'a University, Yemen. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 269 final year students randomly selected from the medical faculties of Sana'a University in the period from January to April 2018. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire, while venous blood samples were collected by venipuncture into EDTA tubes. Hemoglobin (Hb) concentration was estimated using an automated hematology analyzer in the Laboratory Department of the University of Science and Technology in Sana’a city. Data were analyzed using appropriate statistical tests, and statistical significance was considered at P-values <0.05. Results: The mean Hb concentration of final-year medical students at Sana’a University was 15.1 ± 1.9 g/dL. The mean Hb concentration for male students was 16.3 ± 1.5 g/dL, while the mean Hb concentration for female students was 13.1 ± 1.5 g/dL. Anemia was prevalent among 12 (4.5%) out of 269 medical students and was significantly associated with the gender and smoking status of the students, where females (OR = 5.9, 95% CI: 1.8–27.4; P = 0.011) and smokers (OR = 6.3, 95% CI: 1.2–3.7; P = 0.002) were about six times more likely to be anemic compared to their counterparts. In contrast, there was no statistically significant association between anemia and age, family size, family income, presence of chronic disease(s), khat chewing, exercise, or history of blood transfusion. Conclusions: The prevalence of anemia among final-year medical students at Sana'a University is low compared to other studies elsewhere. The female gender and smoking are the risk factors significantly associated with anemia among medical students. Further large-scale studies among medical and non-medical students from different levels of study at public and private universities of the country are recommended.

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Objective: To determine the prevalence of anemia and its associated risk factors among final-year medical students at Sana'a University, Yemen. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 269 final year students randomly selected from the medical faculties of Sana'a University in the period from January to April 2018. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire, while venous blood samples were collected by venipuncture into EDTA tubes. Hemoglobin (Hb) concentration was estimated using an automated hematology analyzer in the Laboratory Department of the University of Science and Technology in Sana’a city. Data were analyzed using appropriate statistical tests, and statistical significance was considered at P-values <0.05. Results: The mean Hb concentration of final-year medical students at Sana’a University was 15.1 ± 1.9 g/dL. The mean Hb concentration for male students was 16.3 ± 1.5 g/dL, while the mean Hb concentration for female students was 13.1 ± 1.5 g/dL. Anemia was prevalent among 12 (4.5%) out of 269 medical students and was significantly associated with the gender and smoking status of the students, where females (OR = 5.9, 95% CI: 1.8–27.4; P = 0.011) and smokers (OR = 6.3, 95% CI: 1.2–3.7; P = 0.002) were about six times more likely to be anemic compared to their counterparts. In contrast, there was no statistically significant association between anemia and age, family size, family income, presence of chronic disease(s), khat chewing, exercise, or history of blood transfusion. Conclusions: The prevalence of anemia among final-year medical students at Sana'a University is low compared to other studies elsewhere. The female gender and smoking are the risk factors significantly associated with anemia among medical students. Further large-scale studies among medical and non-medical students from different levels of study at public and private universities of the country are recommended.