BackgroundTesting by pharmacogenomics (PGx) aims to reduce the side-effects of medicines and to optimize therapy.AimTo ascertain the knowledge and attitudes towards PGx among pharmacy students in Jordan and West Bank of Palestine (WBP).MethodsThis cross-sectional study focused on pharmacy students from five universities in Jordan and WBP. Students were asked to answer an online survey comprising 30-closed ended questions measuring the knowledge and attitudes towards PGx.ResultsThe total number of respondents to the questionnaire was 466. Most (96.1%) respondents knew that genetic variations can affect the drug response. Most students stated that the total number of lectures mentioning PGx was fewer than three. Most (>80%) respondents answered that they knew that human genetics can affect the response, inter-individual variation, and ethnic variations in the drug response. However, their knowledge about US Food and Drug Administration recommendations regarding PGx testing of commonly used drugs was weak. Also, 60.3% of respondents stated that the information they received about PGx was insufficient. Most (>92.7%) students wished to know more about PGx and believed that PGx is helpful in choosing the appropriate drug.ConclusionPharmacy students had fair knowledge and good attitudes towards PGx. These factors could aid application of PGx in clinical practice in Jordan and WBP.

The question of whether children should be vaccinated against COVID-19 is currently being argued. The risk-benefit analysis of the vaccine in children has been more challenging because of the low prevalence of acute COVID-19 in children and the lack of confidence in the relative effects of the vaccine and the disease. One of the most convincing arguments for vaccinating healthy children is to protect them from long-term consequences. The aim of this study was to assess Jordanian parents’ intention to vaccinate their children. This is an Internet-based cross-sectional survey. The researchers prepared a Google Forms survey and shared the link with a number of Jordanian Facebook generic groups. Data were gathered between September and November 2021. In this study, convenience sampling was used. Knowledge about COVID-19 and preventive practices against COVID-19 were calculated for each participant. A total of 819 participants completed the survey (female = 70.9%). Of these, 274 (30.2%) participants intended to vaccinate their children, whereas the rest were either unsure 176 (21.5%) or intended not to vaccinate their children 396 (48.4%). The variables that increased the odds of answering “No” vs “Yes” to “will you vaccinate your children against COVID-19” included not willing to take the vaccines themselves (OR 3.75; CI, 1.46–9.62) and low protective practice group (OR 1.73;CI, 1.12–2.68). Participants had significant levels of refusal/hesitancy. Several barriers to vaccination were identified; attempts to overcome these should be stepped up.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic poses a serious threat to countless lives. Development of an efficient vaccination can help end the pandemic. Vaccine hesitancy/refusal is a huge issue that could stymie attempts to combat the disease. The goal of this study is to examine COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Iraq where at the end of July 2021, only 7.4% of the population was vaccinated. Participants and Methods: This is a cross-sectional web-based study. A survey was used to assess knowledge, attitudes and practice (KAP) toward COVID-19. Willingness to be vaccinated against COVID-19 was assessed, with a logistic regression used to identify variables associated with vaccine acceptance. Motives for vaccination refusal/hesitation were reported. Results: A total of 1542 participants (females = 56.7%) completed the questionnaire. Participants displayed high knowledge and good protective practices toward COVID-19 (median score = 15 out of 19 and 20 out of 25 respectively). 88.6% were willing to be vaccinated. Variables associated with vaccine acceptance included have not been infected with COVID-19 (OR=0.53, p=0.01), lowand moderate-income (ORs=0.42 and 0.63, p<0.01 respectively), low education level (OR=0.33, p-value<0.01) and perceived degree of vaccination importance (OR=1.30, P-value<0.01). The most mentioned reasons for vaccine refusal were concerns about vaccine safety and side effects (90.35%) and the need for more information about the vaccine (81.2%). Conclusion: Participants showed high acceptance toward COVID-19 vaccination, nevertheless more efforts should be applied to overcome barriers mentioned by the participants.

Purpose COVID-19 vaccines are critical for containing the pandemic and preventing serious SARS-CoV-2 infections. In addition to the two main doses, a booster dose has been utilized to improve immunity. The aim of current study is to evaluate Iraqi adult population knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards COVID-19 booster dose. Subjects and Methods This online cross-sectional survey of adult Iraqis (n = 754) assessed the attitudes of people who have had both immunizations regarding a potential COVID-19 vaccine booster dosage and to identify potential factors that might impact these attitudes. Factors evaluated in the current study included previously received vaccine type in the first two doses, socioeconomic characteristics, health status, knowledge about COVID-19 and its vaccines and adherence to protective practices. Results Overall, 61.1% of participants expressed willingness to receive a COVID-19 booster dose, with a high median score of knowledge and practice toward COVID-19. Participants who did not perceive COVID-19 to be serious, p -value <0.001), participants who believed they would not be infected with COVID-19 in the next 6 months ( p -value <0.001), low knowledge score group ( p -value <0.001), lower education ( p -value <0.001), participants who received the COVID-19 vaccine because of imposed laws ( p -value <0.001), participants who received AstraZeneca vaccine ( p -value <0.001), younger participants ( p -value=0.003), low level of practice ( p -value <0.001), participants who did not know someone who had died due to COVID-19 ( p -value=0.01), low risk of developing serious side effects if infected with COVID-19 and participants in the low side effects score were significantly less frequently willing to receive a booster COVID-19 dose ( p -value <0.001). The main reasons for booster dose hesitancy/refusal were the perceived lack of need for a booster shot, the uselessness of a booster shot and the conspiracy theory of boosting corporate profits through booster shots. Conclusion There is high hesitancy towards COVID-19 booster dose acceptance among the Iraqi population. The study identified several factors associated with vaccine hesitancy including low socioeconomic status and low knowledge about COVID-19 and its vaccines.

Purpose This study aims to assess the effect of the COVID‐19 confinement on the population wellbeing using the EQ‐5D questionnaire. Methods After receiving the written permission from the EuroQol Research Foundation, an online‐based survey was prepared and a total of 1380 participants were recruited via social media. The relationships of all the factors were studied as well as the scores of the EQ‐5D including EQ‐5D Index, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and each of the EQ‐5D dimension. Linear regression for the Index and VAS and Logistic regression model was used to examine each dimension. Results The median EQ‐5D Index and VAS scores were 0.65 (0.5‐0.75) and 80 (60‐90), respectively. The most frequently reported problem was anxiety/depression (67.3%), followed by usual activities (48.6%). The statistical analysis showed that factors significantly associated with more reported problems in at least one EQ‐5D dimension ( P < .05) were: females, ageing, being unmarried, low income, school studies, living in refugee camps, and villages, unemployment, having chronic diseases or pain, and obesity. It is important to note that participants who responded in November showed more problems compared with December 2020. On the other hand, more problems were reported by participants who were infected, had known affected persons, had no enough information, perceived negative effect of confinement, and indicated having a high infection chance ( P < .05). Conclusions This work provides important evidence on the health status and wellbeing during the COVID‐19 confinement in a sample of the Palestinian population, affecting almost all the aspects of the health state and wellbeing. This effect could be minimised by improving the COVID‐19 preventive education and monitoring that can play an important role in all health and life aspects among the Palestinian population in facing this pandemic.