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The new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‑2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) brings about the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19) pandemic. It is a pathogen that causes extreme respiratory tract infection, especially as the world’s populations had no previous immunity and there were little or no uniformly acceptable treatment options. The virus may persist to bring about considerable morbidity and mortality except an efficient vaccine is produced. Following erstwhile evidence and experience with SARS and Middle East respiratory syndrome, the major focus to vaccine development was the spike glycoprotein, regarded as the most important target for SARS‑CoV‑2 immunotherapies. Collaborative efforts were undertaken to ensure that manufacturing occurred as quickly as possible to salvage the situation. Three vaccine candidates were respectively made of one protein‑based vaccine, a simian‑derived adenovirus vector, and one messenger RNA vaccine. Two of them published their short‑term analyses and effective results after their third trial phase. The messenger RNA vaccine was first confirmed in the USA andthe adenovirus‑derived vaccine in the UK. This paper gives a narrative review of the literature on the present knowledge about this new virus as it concerns the drawn‑up plans of COVID‑19 vaccines that are not only effective but safe following the new and established approaches to vaccine development.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic greatly affected eye care globally in terms of service provision and training. It is important to recognize the challenges faced and the adaptations instituted to overcome them. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on eye care services and training in eye institutions in Nigeria. MaterialsandMethods: This was a cross- sectional survey involving ophthalmologists and senior ophthalmology trainees selected purposively to ensure a varied representation in terms of location and type of practice. Data collection was done through a web-based questionnaire (Google Forms). The main outcome of interest was the impact of the pandemic on four major aspects of practice: outpatient care, surgical care, inpatient care, and residency training. Data on respondents' sociodemographic features and practice details were descriptively summarized with means and standard deviations (SDs) for the continuous variables and proportions for the categorical variables. Practice patterns before and at the height of the pandemic were compared for the four aspects of practice, andP< 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results:A total of 59 responses were received from eye institutions in 28 states in Nigeria. The mean age of respondents was 38.1 years (SD 6) and 36 (61%) were female. Forty-seven (81.4%) responses were from participants working in public institutions and 40 (67.8%) responses were from respondents whose institutions run ophthalmology residency training programs. Glaucoma was the most affected subspecialty during the pandemic (24, 40.7%). Respondents reported complete closures of clinics (21, 35.6%), theaters (40, 67.8%), and wards (18, 30.5%) at the height of the pandemic. Training activities requiring physical contact were negatively affected, while reports on the use of virtual seminars increased to 75% (n= 30) at the peak of the pandemic from 5% (n= 2) before the pandemic. Overall, all respondents affirmed that the pandemic negatively affected their practice, and 51 (86%) reported an extent of more than 25%.Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted most aspects of ophthalmology practice. Adaptations are required to ensure the optimization of patient care and training experiences in the post-COVID era.&nbsp

Solar maculopathy occurs as a result of the effects of exposure of the macula to the harmful light spectrum from the sun. Phototoxic damage of the macula occurs as a result of the exposure to sunlight with some resultant visual deficit. The effect is common during a solar eclipse, where people directly watch the occurrence without sun‑filter glasses. Solar maculopathy is also known to occur during religious rituals, and in schizophrenic patients who stare at the sun. Clinical history, subtle clinical biomicroscopic, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings are the key in making a diagnosis. Management is conservative with OCT follow‑up. Solar maculopathy from nondeliberate sun gazing is not common. We report the case of a 24‑year‑old African who developed solar maculopathy after nondeliberate exposure to sunlight. Keywords: Maculopathy, nondeliberate, solar

BACKGROUND: Street sweeping is an increasing popular outdoor occupation in major cities of Nigeria. These workers are chronically exposed to diverse occupational and environmental sources of ocular hazards, that they may not be aware of. This may impair their adoption and compliance with the requisite safety practices. This study was aimed at assessing levels of awareness, knowledge, and practice of ocular safety among street sweepers in Calabar, Southern Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The study was a cross sectional study among one hundred and fifteen (115) street sweepers in Calabar Urban Development Authority, Nigeria over a period of three months. A systematic random sampling method was used to select respondents eligible for the study and a pretested semi-structured interviewer administered questionnaire was used to obtain data. Data obtained was analysed using statistical package for social sciences version 20 (Armonk, NY:IBM Corp.). RESULTS: One hundred and fifteen (115) subjects were studied, with mean age of 41.8 ± 10.4 years, and female to male ratio of 1:0.03. Seventy percent had good knowledge of ocular health safety; while 68% were aware of the occupational hazards associated with the job. Less than a quarter (19%) of workers used personal protective devices (PPD). Only 1% of the total who used PPD wore protective goggles while at work. CONCLUSION: Good knowledge and a high level of awareness on ocular health safety was seen among street sweepers. However, there was poor utilization of personal protective devices especially protective goggles among the workers which will increase their risk to occupational hazards. RUNNING TITLE: Awareness and practice knowledge of ocular health safety

Subconjunctival worm is a manifestation of ocular filariasis, one of the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) which constitute an important public health problem in Nigeria.The most commonly reported subconjunctival worm is loaloa which in some occasions is associated with the so called 'Calabar swelling'. However there exist few reports of ocular filariasis caused by Wuchereriabancrofti involving the eyelids, conjunctiva, cornea, anterior chamber, and uvea with variable presentations. We report a case of a 31-year-old female, constitutionally asymptomatic patient who presented with Wuchereriabancrofti filarial worm encysted in the subconjunctival space.

Background: Street sweeping is an increasing popular outdoor occupation in major cities of Nigeria. These workers are chronically exposed to diverse occupational and environmental sources of ocular hazards, that they may not be aware of. This may impair their adoption and compliance with the requisite safety practices. This study was aimed at assessing levels of awareness, knowledge, and practice of ocular safety among street sweepers in Calabar, Southern Nigeria.Materials and Methods: The study was a cross sectional study among one hundred and fifteen (115) street sweepers in Calabar Urban Development Authority, Nigeria over a period of three months. A systematic random sampling method was used to select respondents eligible for the study and a pretested semi-structured interviewer administered questionnaire was used to obtain data. Data obtained was analysed using statistical package for social sciences version 20 (Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.).Results: One hundred and fifteen (115) subjects were studied, with mean age of 41.8 ± 10.4 years, and female to male ratio of 1:0.03. Seventy percent had good knowledge of ocular health safety; while 68% were aware of the occupational hazards associated with the job. Less than a quarter (19%) of workers used personal protective devices (PPD). Only 1% of the total who used PPD wore protective goggles while at work.Conclusion: Good knowledge and a high level of awareness on ocular health safety was seen among street sweepers. However, there was poor utilization of personal protective devices especially protective goggles among the workers which will increase their risk to occupational hazards.Keywords: Ocular health safety, street sweepers, Calabar

Objective: The present study aims to determine the association between clinical-demographic variables and length of stay of patients admitted into Federal Psychiatric Hospital, Calabar.Design: Retrospective review of case records.Methods: 280 case records of patients (discharged from September 1st, 2015 to August 31st, 2016) were assembled for review, out of which twelve cases were excluded for various reasons. Clinical and demographic data collected from the remaining 268 case records were subjected to univariate and multivariate analyses to determine variables associated with prolonged length of stay.Results: Mean length of stay was 56.2 ± 40.9 and the commonest clinical diagnosis was schizophrenia (45.9%). Although gender, age, marital status and clinical diagnoses tended to influence length of stay, gender (p =0.007) and clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia (p =0.044) were the only variables that significantly predicted prolonged length of stay.Conclusion: We found that gender and clinical diagnoses were important determinants of length of stay. If validated in future studies, these factors may help in accurate identification of cases at risk of prolonged hospitalization and act as guide to clinicians who may need to optimize intervention strategies early enough in managing such cases.Keywords: Psychiatric hospitalization, Length of stay, Prolonged hospitalization, Psychiatric patients, Calabar

BACKGROUND: Vascular trauma is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality following trauma. Injury to a major blood vessel may worsen the prognosis of trauma. Avoidable mortality may result from massive haemorrhage. Available data in Nigeria is scanty. AIM: This retrospective study was carried out to review the pattern and outcome of vascular trauma patients in the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital. METHODOLOGY: The Hospital records of all patients managed in the facility for vascular injuries during the study period were retrieved and data collected retrospectively. RESULTS: Forty – two patients, with a male: female ratio of 5:1 and a mean age of 31.15 years were studied. The age range 21 – 30 years were most affected. Mean interval between injury and presentation at the hospital was 7.05 hours. The mean duration between presentation to the hospital and surgical intervention for the rest of the patients was 13.32 hours. The most commonly injured vessel was the brachial artery. Prompt presentation and intervention are critical to successful outcome. CONCLUSION: Most vascular trauma in Calabar occur predominantly in young males who lead an active life.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and efficiency of optical services provided in a tertiary hospital in South- South, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study. Six hundred and fifty consecutive patients with errors of refraction who attended the outpatient’s eye clinics of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital were interviewed using interviewer-administered questionnaires. They were questioned regarding time to acquisition of spectacles, source of prescription glasses and reasons influencing their choices. Data wereanalyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) for IBM (version 20, SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL, USA) and the results presented in tables and figures. Results: Majority of participants (88.3%) had their lenses fitted in the hospital, and the remaining got their glasses from peripheral clinics. Importantly, only 56% of respondents bought their spectacle frames in the teaching hospital. The major reasons were cost (43%) and poor quality of frames (32%). Ninety percent acquired their pair of fitted glasses within two weeks of submission of their prescriptions to the optical service and 10% beyond this time frame. Conclusion: The optical service of the hospital at present is effective, but its efficiency could be improved by adding some readymade spectacles and provision of good quality and cosmetically acceptable frames.

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Please note that this paper has been retracted by the journal due to a conflict of interest.

Background: This article reviews 16 cases of civilian gunshot injuries of the oro-facial region seen at University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar over a 5-year period and highlights the rising trend in the occurrence of gun shot injuries to the orofacial region as experienced in the south-south region of Nigeria Methodology: Records of 16 patients with different types of gunshot injuries to the oro-facial region seen and treated at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar between 2002 and 2006 were reviewed. The focus was on the patient\'s age, gender, type of weapons used, the surrounding circumstances (accidental or intentional), the time of occurrence and management. Results: Out of 16 patients seen, 14 (87.5%) were males and 2 (12.5%) were females, giving a male to female ratio of 7:1, with the age range from 18 to 50 years. Thirteen (81.3%) of the patients were injured by low velocity missile while 3 (18.7%) by high velocity missile. Violence was responsible for 14 cases (81.7%), and 2 cases (18.3%) was due to the accidental discharge. Conclusion: This study has shown an increasing occurrence of gunshot injuries to the oro-facial region in our environment with males more affected than females. With the changing political situation, social advancement and urbanization, there is a need to regulate the influx of deadly weapons in the country by the relevant agencies. Maxillofacial surgeons should also brace up to the new development as this poses a new kind of challenge to our knowledge of trauma management. Keywords : Gunshot injuries, Oro-facial region, Calabar, South-south Nigeria Nigerian Journal of Medicine Vol. 17 (3) 2008: pp. 257-260

BACKGROUND The objective of this study was to determine how many women in Calabar urban community actually discuss with their spouses about family planning, how their spouses view family planning and how that affects their usage of family planning facilities. METHOD The study was conducted using a structured questionnaire which was administered by house officers and medical students on one thousand consecutive patients who attended antenatal care during the study period Seven hundred patients met the inclusion criteria for the study. RESULT Fifty six percent of the respondents in the study have never discussed family planning with their spouses. About 15% of the respondents have the same view on family planning with their husbands while 11% of the women themselves do not want family planning even though their husbands wanted it. CONCLUSION Communication between couples about family planning should be encouraged. Whereas women have common meeting points like antenatal clinics to learn more about contraceptives and family planning, the men rarely have such opportunities. They will therefore benefit from discussing with their spouses who are opportuned to learn from the various clinics. Spousal communication should therefore be emphasized in these clinics where contraception and family planning are taught.