Objective: The frequency of vaccine refusal, which is associated with many factors, is increasing worldwide. The aim of this study was to predict the frequency of vaccine refusal against domestic and foreign COVID-19 vaccines and identify the factors underlying refusal. Methods: A survey consisting of 16 questions about COVID-19 vaccination was conducted either face-to-face or online with 428 parents who agreed to participate in the study. The parents had children who were inpatients or outpatients in the Children's Hospital of Ankara City Hospital. In the survey, parents were asked about family sociodemographic characteristics, opinions on domestic and foreign COVID-19 vaccines, and reasons for vaccine refusal. Results: While 66.1% of parents were reluctant to receive foreign COVID-19 vaccines, only 37.4% were reluctant to receive domestic COVID-19 vaccines. The participants' preference for the domestic vaccine was significantly higher for themselves and their children (P < 0.05). Women were less likely to be willing to receive foreign vaccines than men (P < 0.05). As the education level increased, fewer parents preferred the domestic vaccine for themselves (P = 0.046) and their children (P = 0.005). Both domestic and foreign vaccine acceptability for parents and their children was higher among parents with high anxiety levels regarding COVID-19 infection (P < 0.05). The most common reasons for refusal were anxiety about vaccine side effects, lack of knowledge about the effectiveness of vaccines, and distrust of vaccines originating from abroad. Conclusion: Most of the participants were hesitant about COVID-19 vaccines. This study demonstrates that vaccine uptake can be increased by considering the higher preference for domestic vaccines.

Significance There is growing evidence that preexisting autoantibodies neutralizing type I interferons (IFNs) are strong determinants of life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia. It is important to estimate their quantitative impact on COVID-19 mortality upon SARS-CoV-2 infection, by age and sex, as both the prevalence of these autoantibodies and the risk of COVID-19 death increase with age and are higher in men. Using an unvaccinated sample of 1,261 deceased patients and 34,159 individuals from the general population, we found that autoantibodies against type I IFNs strongly increased the SARS-CoV-2 infection fatality rate at all ages, in both men and women. Autoantibodies against type I IFNs are strong and common predictors of life-threatening COVID-19. Testing for these autoantibodies should be considered in the general population.

Clinical course in children differs from that in adults.

In the 10th month of the pandemic, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) vaccination was given first to healthcare workers in Turkey after receiving emergency use approval from the Ministry of Health. This study, which was performed at the COVID‐19 reference center in Ankara (the capital of Turkey) aimed to evaluate the seroconversion rate of the CoronaVac vaccine. The anti‐spike immunoglobulin G response to the two‐dose vaccination was retrospectively examined in healthcare workers who had no previous history of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection. The postvaccine seroconversion rate was investigated by measuring the antibody levels of healthcare workers who had received CoronaVac. Vaccination was administered as 600 SU in 28‐day intervals. The healthcare workers' anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 immunoglobulin G levels were used to determine the seroconversion rate 2 months after the second dose of the vaccine. Of the healthcare workers, 22.9% (n = 155) were seronegative. The younger the age of the participant, the higher the level of anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 immunoglobulin G. Furthermore, anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 immunoglobulin G levels were much higher in women than men.

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