There is limited information on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection clustering within families with children. We aimed to study the transmission dynamics of SARS‐CoV‐2 within families with children in Greece. We studied 23 family clusters of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). Infection was diagnosed by reverse‐transcriptase polymerase chain reaction in respiratory specimens. The level of viral load was categorized as high, moderate, or low based on the cycle threshold values. There were 109 household members (66 adults and 43 children). The median attack rate per cluster was 60% (range: 33.4%‐100%). An adult member with COVID‐19 was the first case in 21 (91.3%) clusters. Transmission of infection occurred from an adult to a child in 19 clusters and/or from an adult to another adult in 12 clusters. There was no evidence of child‐to‐adult or child‐to‐child transmission. In total 68 household members (62.4%) tested positive. Children were more likely to have an asymptomatic SARS‐CoV‐2 infection compared to adults (40% vs 10.5%; P = .021). In contrast, adults were more likely to develop a severe clinical course compared with children (8.8% vs 0%; P = .021). In addition, infected children were significantly more likely to have a low viral load while adults were more likely to have a moderate viral load (40.7% and 18.6% vs 13.8% and 51.7%, respectively; P = .016). In conclusion, while children become infected by SARS‐CoV‐2, they do not appear to transmit infection to others. Furthermore, children more frequently have an asymptomatic or mild course compared to adults. Further studies are needed to elucidate the role of viral load on these findings.

Vaccine hesitancy amongst healthcare personnel (HCP) is a critical issue. The aim was to explore the factors that determine the intention to opt for COVID-19 vaccine among HCP from two southern European countries. An anonymous online self-administered survey using Google Forms has been conducted between December 1st to December 15th, 2020 among the HCP in Greece and the Republic of Cyprus. A total of 2,238 HCPs participated in the study (1,220/54.5% from Republic of Cyprus and 1,018 from Greece). Overall 1,082 (48.3%) stressed their intention to get vaccinated (64.4% for Greece and 34.9% for Republic of Cyprus). The main reasons for those who intend to get the COVID-19 vaccine include self (94.2%), family (98.7%), and patients protection (95.2%) as well as mitigation of COVID-19 pandemic (95.4%). The multivariate logistic regression that was performed for the total sample revealed that the following variables were significantly associated with an increased probability to get vaccinated against COVID-19: being a physician, a member of the nursing personnel, paramedical staff, working in Greece, age, the belief that influenza vaccination should be mandatory for HCP, and the rating of the overall management of COVID-19 pandemic in the country and from the public hospitals. Physicians were more likely to get vaccinated against COVID-19 than other HCP. The age was a predictor of COVID-19 uptake intention in the Republic of Cyprus. The belief that there was a successful management of the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the intention to COVID-19 vaccination uptake.

Background: Thyroid cancer (TC) is one of the fastest growing cancers all over the world. Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) is the most frequent subtype of TC. When appropriate treatment is given, the prognosis for the patient is generally excellent. Despite the generally good prognosis of thyroid carcinomas, the symptoms may range from emotional to physical discomfort, depending on the thyroid hormone status, which can severely affect the patient. Moreover, the diagnostic and therapeutic procedures that DTC patients have to undergo, such as thyroidectomy and radioiodine therapy, significantly affect their mental and physical well-being. Often, the physician only addresses the favorable prognosis of DTC compared with other cancer types and neglects to assess issues related to the quality of life (QoL) of the patient; this was the reason we decided to design a mobile app for DTC patients and their caregivers. Objective: The aim of this study is to research the feasibility and applicability of an mHealth app tailored to DTC patients, as reflected in their QoL. The main features of the developed app offer access to useful information about thyroid cancer, diagnostic tests, and the appropriate therapy administered to DTC patients. Methods: Based on the existing literature, we created an up-to-date information platform regarding TC and especially DTC. In order to develop an effective app that can be implemented in current health care, we designed a section where the patient and physician can keep a medical record in an effort to enable access to such information at any time. Finally, we designed a user-friendly notification program, including pill prescription, follow-up tests, and doctor visit reminders in order to equally facilitate the lives of the patient and physician. Results: Having developed this mobile app, we aim to conduct a pilot quasiexperimental interventional trial. Our intention is to enroll at least 30 TC patients and assign them to intervention or control groups. Both groups will receive standard care for treating and monitoring TC, and the intervention group will also receive and use the DTC app. TC patients’ QoL will be assessed for both control and intervention groups in order to examine the effectiveness of the DTC app. QoL will be assessed through the QoL core questionnaire European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-THY34 in combination with the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire through quantitative statistical analysis. Conclusions: The use of mHealth apps can play a significant role in patient education, disease self-management, remote monitoring of patients, and QoL improvement. However, the main limitation of the majority of existing studies has been the lack of assessing their usefulness as well as the absence of specific instruments to carry out this assessment. In light of those considerations, we developed a mobile app tailored to the needs of DTC patients. Furthermore, we evaluated its contribution to the QoL of the patients by using the EORTC QLQ-THY34 questionnaire, an accurate and safe instrument for the evaluation of the QoL in TC patients, while supporting future planned endeavors in the field. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/13409