BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccination uptake, safety, effectiveness, and waning in children and young people aged 5-11 years in Scotland.

Background: Few large-scale population studies have examined both safety and vaccine effectiveness (VE) specifically for 5-11-year-olds during the Omicron-dominant period in a setting with low vaccine uptake. The BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) vaccine, administered in two doses, has shown strong efficacy against symptomatic and severe COVID-19 in clinical trials involving children and young people (CYP). Accordingly, we examined the uptake, real-world safety, VE, and waning of BNT162b2 VE against symptomatic COVID-19 among children aged 5-11 years in Scotland.

Investigating the contribution of socio-economic position to ethnic inequalities in severe COVID-19 outcomes: population-based mediation analyses of national linked Scottish data.

We quantified the extent to which socio-economic position (SEP) contributed to ethnic inequalities in severe COVID-19 outcomes (hospitalization or death) in Scotland. We used linked 2011 Scottish Census and health records to assess whether ethnic inequalities were mediated by different SEP measures: area deprivation, educational status, household composition, and multigenerational household. We considered disaggregated ethnicities 'White Scottish', 'White British or Irish', 'Other White', 'South Asian', 'African, Caribbean, or Black', and 'Other'.

Validating the depression anxiety stress scales (DASS-21) across Germany, Ghana, India, and New Zealand using Rasch methodology.

Psychological distress is widespread globally, affects both mental and physical health, and has been significantly exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Reliable and valid instruments to assess psychological distress are needed so that interventions to address this condition can be directed and evaluated. We evaluated the psychometric statistics of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) using the Rasch method and a population survey sample dataset from four nations.

Effect modification and interaction between ethnicity and socioeconomic factors in severe COVID-19: analyses of linked national data for Scotland.

Objective: Minority ethnic groups disproportionately experienced adverse COVID-19 outcomes, partly a consequence of disproportionate exposure to socioeconomic disadvantage and high-risk occupations. We examined whether minority ethnic groups were also disproportionately vulnerable to the consequences of socioeconomic disadvantage and high-risk occupations in Scotland.

Design: We investigated effect modification and interaction between area deprivation, education and occupational risk and ethnicity (assessed as both a binary white vs non-white variable and a multi-category variable) in relation to severe COVID-19 (hospitalisation or death).

The COVID-19 pandemic in children and young people during 2022-24: what new did we learn?

The research conducted between 2022 and 2024 has advanced our understanding of COVID-19 in children and young people (CYP), particularly with the emergence of the Omicron variant and its subvariants. The findings have reinforced that, while Omicron infections are often milder compared to earlier variants, the overall seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in children has increased, with notable regional and demographic disparities. COVID-19-related hospitalisation rates in children rose during Omicron waves, especially among infants, unvaccinated individuals, and CYP at higher risk, i.

Are ethnic inequalities in COVID-19 outcomes mediated by occupation risk? Analyses of a 2-year record linked national cohort study in Scotland.

This study investigated the extent to which ethnic inequalities in severe COVID-19 (i.e. hospitalization or deaths) are mediated through occupational risk differences.

A cross-country network analysis of disease infodemics: Looking through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Infodemics surrounding pandemics and epidemics have persisted for centuries and continue to impede efforts to promote high vaccination coverage. We explored the complex interplay between COVID-19 vaccination attitudes and COVID-19-related infodemics across Germany, Ghana, India, and New Zealand using the novel network analysis. We conducted an online cross-sectional survey and recruited 1822 participants from the general populations of India (n = 411), New Zealand (n = 413), Ghana (n = 523), and Germany (n = 413) to complete COVID-19 infodemic measures and demographics questions.

Deriving and validating a risk prediction model for long COVID: a population-based, retrospective cohort study in Scotland.

Objectives: Using electronic health records, we derived and internally validated a prediction model to estimate risk factors for long COVID and predict individual risk of developing long COVID.

Design: Population-based, retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Scotland.

Effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against hospitalisation, death and infection over time in Aotearoa New Zealand: a retrospective cohort study.

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in preventing COVID-19 outcomes when the Omicron variant was predominant in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using routinely available data (8 December 2020-28 February 2023). We evaluated the vaccine effectiveness (VE) of COVID-19 vaccines using the Cox proportional-hazards model, adjusting for covariates.

Risk of winter hospitalisation and death from acute respiratory infections in Scotland: national retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: We undertook a national analysis to characterise and identify risk factors for acute respiratory infections (ARIs) resulting in hospitalisation during the winter period in Scotland.

Design: A population-based retrospective cohort analysis.

Setting: Scotland.

External validation of the QCovid 2 and 3 risk prediction algorithms for risk of COVID-19 hospitalisation and mortality in adults: a national cohort study in Scotland.

Objective: The QCovid 2 and 3 algorithms are risk prediction tools developed during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic that can be used to predict the risk of COVID-19 hospitalisation and mortality, taking vaccination status into account. In this study, we assess their performance in Scotland.

Methods: We used the Early Pandemic Evaluation and Enhanced Surveillance of COVID-19 national data platform consisting of individual-level data for the population of Scotland (5.

Critical success index or F measure to validate the accuracy of administrative healthcare data identifying epilepsy in deceased adults in Scotland.

Background: Methods to undertake diagnostic accuracy studies of administrative epilepsy data are challenged by lack of a way to reliably rank case-ascertainment algorithms in order of their accuracy. This is because it is difficult to know how to prioritise positive predictive value (PPV) and sensitivity (Sens). Large numbers of true negative (TN) instances frequently found in epilepsy studies make it difficult to discriminate algorithm accuracy on the basis of negative predictive value (NPV) and specificity (Spec) as these become inflated (usually >90%).

Quality of ethnicity data within Scottish health records and implications of misclassification for ethnic inequalities in severe COVID-19: a national linked data study.

Background: We compared the quality of ethnicity coding within the Public Health Scotland Ethnicity Look-up (PHS-EL) dataset, and other National Health Service datasets, with the 2011 Scottish Census.

Methods: Measures of quality included the level of missingness and misclassification. We examined the impact of misclassification using Cox proportional hazards to compare the risk of severe coronavirus disease (COVID-19) (hospitalization & death) by ethnic group.

Understanding and reporting odds ratios as rate-ratio estimates in case-control studies.

Background: We noted that there remains some confusion in the health-science literature on reporting sample odds ratios as estimated rate ratios in case-control studies.

Methods: We recap historical literature that definitively answered the question of when sample odds ratios (ORs) from a case-control study are consistent estimators for population rate ratios. We use numerical examples to illustrate the magnitude of the disparity between sample ORs in a case-control study and population rate ratios when sufficient conditions for them to be equal are not satisfied.

Predictors of incomplete COVID-19 vaccine schedule among adults in Scotland: Two retrospective cohort analyses of the primary schedule and third dose.

Background: Vaccination continues to be the key public health measure for preventing severe COVID-19 outcomes. Certain groups may be at higher risk of incomplete vaccine schedule, which may leave them vulnerable to COVID-19 hospitalisation and death.

Aim: To identify the sociodemographic and clinical predictors for not receiving a scheduled COVID-19 vaccine after previously receiving one.

Ethnic inequalities in positive SARS-CoV-2 tests, infection prognosis, COVID-19 hospitalisations and deaths: analysis of 2 years of a record linked national cohort study in Scotland.

Background: This study aims to estimate ethnic inequalities in risk for positive SARS-CoV-2 tests, COVID-19 hospitalisations and deaths over time in Scotland.

Methods: We conducted a population-based cohort study where the 2011 Scottish Census was linked to health records. We included all individuals ≥ 16 years living in Scotland on 1 March 2020.

Herpes zoster vaccine safety in the Aotearoa New Zealand population: a self-controlled case series study.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, zoster vaccine live is used for the prevention of zoster and associated complications in adults. This study assessed the risk of pre-specified serious adverse events following zoster vaccine live immunisation among adults in routine clinical practice. We conducted a self-controlled case series study using routinely collected national data.