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Increased stress levels caused by the pandemic might cause delays in cancer treatment. We conducted a survey among cancer patients undergoing treatment to evaluate their psychological wellbeing and treatment adherence during Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic.Patients receiving active chemotherapy at a private oncology center between January and May 2021 were included. Healthy volunteers were employees of a district health directorate with no history of cancer or chronic disease. Treatment adherence was described as compliant if the prescribed treatment was received within a week and the information was gained from patient charts. Hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) and COVID-19 phobia scale (CP19-S) were administered to participants.402 participants were included; 193 (48%) were cancer patients. The mean age of the participants was 44 years old and 68% of the participants were female. All participants' CP19-S mean score was 47.9. Patient group had significantly lower CP19-S (p = 0.006). Chronic disease and history of a shocking event were the factors associated with CP19-S. All participants reporting hospital anxiety were found to have significantly higher COVID-19 phobia levels (p 0.05). Patients' mean HADS-anxiety score was significantly higher (7.3 vs. 6.5, p = 0.027). COVID-19 phobia was an independent factor increasing the level of anxiety and depression in both groups. Adherence to treatment was 100%.The pandemic increased levels of anxiety, however, cancer treatment continued to be a priority in patients' lives. Strategies should be developed to support oncology patients cope with the pandemic and increase their courage to avoid treatment delays.

Introduction : We conducted a survey among cancer patients undergoing active oncology treatment to evaluate their psychological wellbeing during COVID-19 pandemic in comparison to healthy individuals and whether the COVID-19 anxiety affected treatment adherence. Material and Methods 402 participants were included in the study; 193 were cancer patients receiving active treatment while 209 were healthy volunteers. Hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) and COVID-19 phobia scale (C19P-S) questionnaires were used. Results Patient group had significantly lower CP19-S compared to healthy individuals. Patients’ mean HADS-anxiety score was significantly higher. Mean depression scores were similar between patients and healthy volunteers. There were no treatment deferrals. Conclusion Although the pandemic increased levels of anxiety, oncology treatment continued to be a priority for cancer patients.

Most of the studies investigating the relationship between socioeconomic status and the occurrence of COVID-19 have limitations due to their ecological design. To investigate the relationship between socioeconomic status and individual-level risk of developing COVID-19, we conducted a population-based, age and gender matched, case-control study in a district of Istanbul. The case group was defined as all confirmed COVID-19 cases (n=232) in the district in a week of August 2020. The control group was matched with cases in terms of age and gender and selected randomly from the directory of the same primary care provider in the district in a 1:1 ratio. The socioeconomic status was measured by the Turkish Socioeconomic Status Index which considers its three dimensions: education, occupation, and income. 168 cases (72.4% response) and 168 controls are included in the study. The mean socioeconomic status score is 70.28±7.09 for cases and 69.25±7.46 for controls (p=0.201). 15.2% (n=25) of cases and 22.4% (n=37) of controls is in lower socioeconomic status group (p=0.091). The analysis did not reveal a statistically significant difference between study groups. Socioeconomic status may not a significant predictor of COVID-19 occurrence at the individual-level. The disease seems to be a common threat to all individuals.

Aim The frequency of vaccine refusal and hesitation, which is associated with many factors, is increasing worldwide. The purpose of this study is to estimate the frequency of vaccine refusal against COVID‐19 vaccines and to identify the underlying factors for refusal or hesitation. Materials and Methods This is a cross‐sectional study carried out in a district of Istanbul from 25 to 30 December 2020. A sample of people from the ages of 20 to 85 in the district was selected, and a total of 384 people were enrolled. A questionnaire about the COVID‐19 vaccine was administered to the participants by phone. The questionnaire consisted of questions about the sociodemographic characteristics of participants and their thoughts about possible COVID‐19 vaccines. Results 45.3% of the participants were hesitant about getting the COVID‐19 vaccine, which was declared appropriate by the Ministry of Health. The rate of those who think that the COVID‐19 vaccine will be effective in preventing and controlling the disease was 51.6%. 89.6% of the participants were hesitant about getting their children vaccinated. Those who do not consider COVID‐19 disease as a risk to their health were 22.9%, and 32.8% thought that they would be protected from the disease by natural and traditional ways. The median score of the participants' risk perception was 7 (IQR: 6‐8; Mean: 6.8; SD: 1.7). The median value of risk perception score of those who accept the vaccine was 6 (IQR: 4‐6), while the median value for those who did not accept the vaccine was 4 (IQR: 4‐6) (P

Background: Global pandemic of novel Coronavirus Disease (SARS- COV-2) has spread across all continents and infected almost 80 million people. Since it is a novel disease, unknowns about the disease characteristic, treatment and length of immunity still persist. This study aims to characterize reinfection, personal protective equipment use and disease progress in healthcare workers in İstanbul. Methods: 23 healthcare workers who had confirmed negative PCR results after infection and another positivity later were questioned about both infection progress, their symptoms and treatment through an online questionnaire. Results: While the symptoms during both courses did not change drastically, 73.9% were treated as outpatient during the first infection while all but one (95.7%) were treated as such during second time around. Median time between two infections were 106 days. All participants were cleared of disease and none had to be treated in intensive care unit. Conclusion: Use of personal protective equipment was found subpar compared to World Health Organization recommendations. This is the first study from Turkey characterizing reinfected cases in healthcare workers.

Objective: In this study, the anxiety and insomnia levels of healthcare workers were investigated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The population of this cross-sectional study was the healthcare workers serving in a district health directorate. The data was collected through questionnaire forms which were applied through face-to-face interviews. The form, which consisted of three parts, included questions about the descriptive characteristics of the participants, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Test and the Insomnia Severity Index. Results: 85.6% (n=149) of the study population was reached. The mean age was 35.70 ± 9.27 and 71.5% of the participants were women. 82.3% were college graduates and 10.8% were physicians. 31.5% of all participants worked in the public health services and 24.6% of them worked in oral and dental health centers. While 33.1% of the workers continued their usual duties in the pandemic period, 27.7% of them were working on case tracing and 16.9% of them in the Public Health Management System. 19.2% of the participants were diagnosed with COVID-19. 52.3% of the workers had generalized anxiety disorder and 53.1% of them presented with insomnia. 36.9% of the participants had both generalized anxiety disorder and insomnia. According to education level, high school graduates were the group that had the lowest proportion of anxiety disorder and insomnia (p=0.029; p=0.031, respectively). Conclusions: Anxiety and insomnia are common in district health directorate workers who are at the frontline against the pandemic. The protection of healthcare workers is an important part of the measures to be taken during the pandemic. In order to provide sufficient human resources both in maintaining the well-being of workers and of healthcare services; the mental health problems of healthcare workers should be given high priority. Only thus can the important healthcare services they provide to society continue without disruption., Amaç: Bu çalışmada, COVID-19 pandemisi döneminde görev yapan sağlık çalışanlarının anksiyete ve uykusuzluk düzeyleri incelenmiştir. Yöntem: Kesitsel türde olan bu çalışmanın evrenini bir ilçe sağlık müdürlüğünde görevli sağlık çalışanları oluşturmaktadır. Veriler yüz yüze görüşme yoluyla uygulanan anket formlarıyla toplanmıştır. Üç bölümden oluşan anket formunda katılımcıların tanımlayıcı özelliklerine yönelik sorular, Yaygın Anksiyete Bozukluğu-7 Testi ve Uykusuzluk Şiddeti İndeksi yer almaktadır. Bulgular: Çalışma evreninin %85.6’sına (n=149) ulaşılmıştır. Yaş ortalaması 35.70±9.27 olup %71.5’i kadındır. %82.3’ü üniversite mezunu, %10.8’i hekimdir. Halk sağlığı hizmetleri biriminde görev yapanlar tüm personelin %31.5’ini; ağız ve diş sağlığı merkezinde görev yapanlar ise %24.6’sını oluşturmaktadır. Katılımcıların %33.1’i pandemi döneminde de aynı görevine devam ederken, %27.7’si vaka filyasyonu, %16.9’u ise Halk Sağlığı Yönetim Sistemi işlemlerinde görev yapmaktadır. COVID-19 tanısı alanların oranı %19.2’dir. Çalışanların %52.3’ünde yaygın anksiyete bozukluğu, %53.1’inde uykusuzluk mevcuttur. Hem yaygın anksiyete bozukluğu hem de uykusuzluk olanların oranı %36.9’dur. Öğrenim durumuna göre, lise mezunları anksiyete bozukluğu ve uykusuzluğun en az olduğu gruptur (sırasıyla p=0.029; p=0.031). Sonuç: Pandemiyle mücadelede ön safta görev yapan ilçe sağlık müdürlüğü personelinde yaygın anksiyete bozukluğu ve uykusuzluk sık görülmektedir. Çalışanların korunması pandemi döneminde alınması gereken önlemlerin önemli bir parçasıdır. Hem çalışanların iyilik halinin sürdürülmesi hem de sağlık hizmetlerinin yürütülmesinde yeterli insan kaynağını sağlayabilmek için sağlık çalışanlarının ruh sağlığı sorunlarına önem verilmelidir. Bu sayede hem çalışanların sağlıkları korunacak hem de topluma sundukları sağlık hizmeti aksamadan devam edecektir.