Browsing by Author "Roknuzzaman, ASM"

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    A Cross-Sectional Study of COVID-19-Related Knowledge, Risk Perceptions, and Preventive Practices Among Pharmacy Students in Bangladesh
    (SAGE Open Medicine, 2022-01-18) Ether, Sadia Afruz; Emon, Faisal Abdullah; Roknuzzaman, ASM; Rakibuzzaman, Md.; Rahman, Fahad Imtiaz; Islam, Md Rabiul
    Objectives: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic is a threat to public health that impacts the life of frontline pharmacists as they are more susceptible to getting infected by the coronavirus. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, risk perceptions, and preventive practices associated with coronavirus disease 2019 among pharmacy students of Bangladesh to evaluate their preparedness as future frontline workers against the ongoing pandemic. Methods: An online-based cross-sectional study was conducted among pharmacy undergraduate students of Bangladesh during the early months of the pandemic in April 2020. Respondents voluntarily submitted an online questionnaire regarding sociodemographics, knowledge, risk perceptions, and preventive practices related to coronavirus disease 2019. Results: A total of 418 participants submitted their responses, and we included 395 responses for final analysis. The mean age of the participants was 20.65 years. The study revealed that out of 395 pharmacy students, 68 (17.2%) had high levels of knowledge, 210 (53.2%) possessed high risk perceptions regarding coronavirus disease 2019, and 165 (41.7%) were adopting high levels of preventive practices. Average scores for knowledge, risk perceptions, and preventive practices were 5.7, 8.4, and 8.2 out of 10. Chi-square test and logistic regression analyses showed that having high knowledge levels was associated with high risk perceptions regarding coronavirus disease 2019. Similarly, higher risk perceptions were associated with having high knowledge and preventive measures, while higher preventive measures were associated with female gender, low monthly family income, and having high risk perceptions. Conclusion: We found moderate knowledge, risk perceptions, and preventive practices related to coronavirus disease 2019 among the undergraduate pharmacy students. We recommend awareness-building discussions or seminars focusing on pharmacy students. In addition, the upgradation of the existing curriculum may help future pharmacists.
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    Side Effects Following Administration of the First Dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca’s Covishield Vaccine in Bangladesh
    (Infectious Disease Reports, 2021-12) Jahan, Nishat; Rahma, Fahad Imtiaz; Saha, Poushali; Ether, Sadia Afruz; Roknuzzaman, ASM; Sarker, Rapty; Kalam, Khondoker Tashya; Haq, Kashfa; Nyeen, Julkar; Himi, Humayra Zaman; Hossain, Md Nazmul; Chowdhury, Mahtab Hossain; Uddin, Mostafa Moin; Alam, Nur Haque
    In response to the raging COVID-19 pandemic, Bangladesh started its vaccine administration in early 2021; however, due to the rapid development and launch of the vaccines in the market, many people had concerns regarding the safety of these vaccines. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the side effects that were experienced by the Bangladeshi residents after receiving the first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca's Covishield vaccine (ChAdOx1nCoV-19). The study was conducted using both online and printed questionnaires and the data were analysed using SPSS. The results included the responses of 474 vaccine recipients from March-April 2021. Pain at the site of injection, fever, myalgia, fatigue and headache were the most commonly reported symptoms, and the overall side effects were found to be significantly more prevalent in the younger population (p ≤ 0.05). These findings were consistent with the results indicated by the clinical trial of ChAdOx1nCoV-19. Logistic regression analysis further revealed that compared to people aged 70 years or above, the incidence of reported side effects was significantly higher in people aged 18-30 years (odds ratio (OR) = 8.56), 31-40 years, (OR = 5.05), 41-50 years (OR = 4.08), 51-60 years (OR = 3.77) and 61-70 years (OR = 3.67). In addition, a significantly higher percentage of female participants suffered from post-vaccination side effects compared to males (OR = 1.51). It was concluded that the Covishield vaccine was well-tolerated among people of different age groups. Nevertheless, further long-term follow-up study with a larger sample size is warranted to establish the long-term safety of the COVID-19 vaccine.