Acceptability of COVID-19 Vaccine Among Hospital Employees in the Department of Paediatrics, Gynaecology and Obstetrics in the University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: COVID-19 vaccination has been in the spotlight for almost a year now, both within the scientific community and in the general population. The issue of healthcare workers' (HCWs) hesitancy is particularly salient, given that they are at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19. Not only could unvaccinated HCW spread the disease, but HCWs are also critical messengers in building confidence towards COVID-19 vaccines. The goal of this study was to examine the perception of COVID-19 risk and of its vaccine acceptance among employees (i.e., HCW plus administrative staff) in the Department of Paediatrics, Gynaecology and Obstetrics at the University Hospitals of Geneva, for the purpose of drawing lessons on the determinants of vaccination morale. METHODS: We conducted an anonymous online survey comparing vaccination attitudes among vaccinated and unvaccinated workers in June 2021. It included questions on perception of COVID-19 risks and COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccination was not mandatory in our institution but was strongly recommended. RESULTS: In June 2021, 66% of the 1,800 employees of our department had received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine by the time of the survey. Among the employees, 776 participated (43%) to the survey, and among them 684 (88%) had chosen to be vaccinated. Participants working for longer in a hospital, with a chronic disease and a household contact with chronic disease were more likely to be vaccinated. Doctors were twice as likely to be vaccinated than nurses. Among unvaccinated hospital employees, 48 (52%) responded that they would not change their mind. Further, 35 (38%) were not feeling in danger of contracting severe COVID-19, and 32 (35%) had fears about possible side effects of COVID-19 vaccines that they wanted to discuss with a specialist. CONCLUSION: Our study indicates that, while two-third of the employees had been vaccinated, quite many were still hesitant. The unvaccinated explained their choice by not feeling at risk of complicated COVID-19, and because of fear of possible side effects associated with the vaccine. Investments in COVID-19 vaccine education is a critical component for increasing vaccine acceptance among the unvaccinated

A Functional Analysis of Truth in Lending

The purpose of this Article is to take a hard look at the possible objectives of a disclosure statute such as Truth In Lending, and ask the basic question whether these objectives are attainable, and if so, what type of a statute can best effectuate the legislative policies. Given the lawmakers\u27 fascination with disclosure-type legislation in the scheme for protecting consumers, and the myths that accompany such legislation, this undertaking should prove useful

War Signals: A Theory of Trade, Trust and Conflict

We construct a dynamic theory of civil conflict hinging on inter-ethnic trust and trade. The model economy is inhabitated by two ethnic groups. Inter-ethnic trade requires imperfectly observed bilateral investments and one group has to form beliefs on the average propensity to trade of the other group. Since conflict disrupts trade, the onset of a conflict signals that the aggressor has a low propensity to trade. Agents observe the history of conflicts and update their beliefs over time, transmitting them to the next generation. The theory bears a set of testable predictions. First, war is a stochastic process whose frequency depends on the state of endogenous beliefs. Second, the probability of future conflicts increases after each conflict episode. Third, "accidental" conflicts that do not reflect economic fundamentals can lead to a permanent breakdown of trust, plunging a society into a vicious cycle of recurrent conflicts (a war trap). The incidence of conflict can be reduced by policies abating cultural barriers, fostering inter-ethnic trade and human capital, and shifting beliefs. Coercive peace policies such as peacekeeping forces or externally imposed regime changes have instead no persistent effects.human capital investment

A Functional Analysis of Truth in Lending

The purpose of this Article is to take a hard look at the possible objectives of a disclosure statute such as Truth In Lending, and ask the basic question whether these objectives are attainable, and if so, what type of a statute can best effectuate the legislative policies. Given the lawmakers\u27 fascination with disclosure-type legislation in the scheme for protecting consumers, and the myths that accompany such legislation, this undertaking should prove useful

The Violent Legacy of Conflict: Evidence on Asylum Seekers, Crime, and Public Policy in Switzerland

International audienc

A low-loss, broadband antenna for efficient photon collection from a coherent spin in diamond

We report the creation of a low-loss, broadband optical antenna giving highly directed output from a coherent single spin in the solid-state. The device, the first solid-state realization of a dielectric antenna, is engineered for individual nitrogen vacancy (NV) electronic spins in diamond. We demonstrate a directionality close to 10. The photonic structure preserves the high spin coherence of single crystal diamond (T2>100us). The single photon count rate approaches a MHz facilitating efficient spin readout. We thus demonstrate a key enabling technology for quantum applications such as high-sensitivity magnetometry and long-distance spin entanglement.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures and supplementary information (5 pages, 8 figures). Comments welcome. Further information under http://www.quantum-sensing.physik.unibas.c

Comparative in-vitro activity of new quinolones against clinical isolates and resistant mutants

The in-vitro activity of five new fluoroquinolones, WIN 57273, sparfloxacin, flerox-acin, temafloxacin and tiprofloxacin was determined against 543 recent clinical isolates and eight quinolone resistant strains derived by mutation and their five parent strains. WIN 57273 was the most active compound against Gram-positive bacteria, sparfloxacin had a broad spectrum which was similar to that of cipro-floxacin. Ciprofloxacin showed the greatest activity against Gram-negative bacteria. Temafloxacin showing some activity against Gram-positive organisms and Acinetobacter spp. Fleroxacin was the least active compound studied. Compared to wild type parent strains, the mutated strains produced the following results. In Enterobacter cloacae OmpF deficiency increased the MICs of all quinolones by 8-32-fold. In Pseudomonas aeruginosa OmpF deficiency had a limited effect, Omp D2 deficiency combined with an increased lipopolysaccharide content produced greater resistance, i.e. 4-16-fold; mutations in gyrase were associated with variously increased MICs, depending on the strain and compound teste

Parabolic diamond scanning probes for single spin magnetic field imaging

Enhancing the measurement signal from solid state quantum sensors such as the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond is an important problem for sensing and imaging of condensed matter systems. Here we engineer diamond scanning probes with a truncated parabolic profile that optimizes the photonic signal from single embedded NV centers, forming a high-sensitivity probe for nanoscale magnetic field imaging. We develop a scalable fabrication procedure based on dry etching with a flowable oxide mask to reliably produce a controlled tip curvature. The resulting parabolic tip shape yields a median saturation count rate of 2.1 $\pm$ 0.2 MHz, the highest reported for single NVs in scanning probes to date. Furthermore, the structures operate across the full NV photoluminescence spectrum, emitting into a numerical aperture of 0.46 and the end-facet of the truncated tip, located near the focus of the parabola, allows for small NV-sample spacings and nanoscale imaging. We demonstrate the excellent properties of these diamond scanning probes by imaging ferromagnetic stripes with a spatial resolution better than 50 nm. Our results mark a 5-fold improvement in measurement signal over the state-of-the art in scanning-probe based NV sensors.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure