Understanding Vaccine Hesitancy in COVID-19.
08 Apr 2021-Vol. 2, Iss: 5, pp 498-501
TL;DR: The vaccine hesitancy may become a defining theme of the next stage of the COVID-19 pandemic as discussed by the authors, as supply meets demand, vaccine shortage becomes a major concern.
Abstract: Vaccines are one of the greatest medical innovations of all time, but there has been skepticism about them throughout history. Although initial concerns about scarcity increased public demand for COVID-19 vaccines, as supply meets demand, vaccine hesitancy may become a defining theme of the next stage of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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TL;DR: Wang et al. as discussed by the authors investigated the relationship between health literacy, perceived stress, and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among community population in mainland, China, with structured questionnaires.
22 citations
TL;DR: Li et al. as discussed by the authors explored the level of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine hesitancy among medical students in Wuhan, China, and identified the factors and barriers associated with their vaccination decision.
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to explore the level of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine hesitancy among medical students in Wuhan, China, and to identify the factors and barriers associated with their vaccination decision. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was launched with 612 medical students recruited by convenience sampling from 6 universities. Data collection measures mainly included a demographic questionnaire, COVID-19 vaccine knowledge questionnaire, and the vaccine hesitancy scale. RESULTS: A total of 58.2% of medical students reported vaccine hesitancy. The most common reasons for this were worrying about the side effects of vaccines (44.4%), uncertainty about vaccine safety (40.4%), and underestimating the risk of exposure to COVID-19 (27.9%). The main factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among participants were their knowledge about COVID-19 vaccine, training related to COVID-19 vaccines, family address, and education level (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The government, health department and universities in China need to work together and actively communicate with vaccine-hesitant students, establish a standardized COVID-19 vaccine course, and provide on-campus vaccination services.
17 citations
TL;DR: There was fair to reasonable access to vaccination across countries, enhanced by government initiatives, and challenges included irregular supply and considerable hesitancy arising from misinformation fuelled by social media activities.
Abstract: The introduction of effective vaccines in December 2020 marked a significant step forward in the global response to COVID-19. Given concerns with access, acceptability, and hesitancy across Africa, there is a need to describe the current status of vaccine uptake in the continent. An exploratory study was undertaken to investigate these aspects, current challenges, and lessons learnt across Africa to provide future direction. Senior personnel across 14 African countries completed a self-administered questionnaire, with a descriptive analysis of the data. Vaccine roll-out commenced in March 2021 in most countries. COVID-19 vaccination coverage varied from low in Cameroon and Tanzania and up to 39.85% full coverage in Botswana at the end of 2021; that is, all doses advocated by initial protocols versus the total population, with rates increasing to 58.4% in Botswana by the end of June 2022. The greatest increase in people being fully vaccinated was observed in Uganda (20.4% increase), Botswana (18.5% increase), and Zambia (17.9% increase). Most vaccines were obtained through WHO-COVAX agreements. Initially, vaccination was prioritised for healthcare workers (HCWs), the elderly, adults with co-morbidities, and other at-risk groups, with countries now commencing vaccination among children and administering booster doses. Challenges included irregular supply and considerable hesitancy arising from misinformation fuelled by social media activities. Overall, there was fair to reasonable access to vaccination across countries, enhanced by government initiatives. Vaccine hesitancy must be addressed with context-specific interventions, including proactive programmes among HCWs, medical journalists, and the public.
15 citations
TL;DR: Overall, the acceptability of COVD-19 vaccines in the Romanian population was influenced by the level of education, area of residence, and being a COVID-19-vaccinated parent.
Abstract: Background: COVID-19 vaccination started in Romania in December 2020. Child vaccination started in 2021 with children aged 12–15 years in August. For children aged 5–11 years, vaccination started in January 2022. The aim of our study was to describe COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy in Romanian children and vaccine acceptability in the general population. As parental consent is required for child vaccination in Romania, these aspects have a significant association. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional survey was conducted in October and November 2021 during the peak of the 4th COVID-19 wave. Results: After validation, 1645 participants formed the main study group: median age 35 years, 72.83% women, and 35.44% from the medical domain. In total, 1311 (79.70%) participants were vaccinated against COVID-19 and 188 (11.42%) had vaccinated their 12–18-year-old children against COVID-19. Parents’ level of education, geographic area of residence, and COVID-19 vaccination status were significantly associated with COVID-19 vaccination. The hesitancy factors of child vaccination included the novelty of COVID-19 vaccines (62, 47.32%), fear of adverse reactions (32, 24.42%), and anti-vaccinism in general (29, 22.13%). In the studied group, only 188 (11.42%) participants recommended vaccination of 5–11-year-old children. Vaccine acceptability was higher in the general population (1311, 79.70%) than in the medical domain (326 out of 583, 55.91%). General vaccine hesitancy was based mainly on beliefs regarding inefficiency (131, 39.22%) and fears about the side effects of the vaccine (76, 22.75%). Conclusions: Overall, the acceptability of COVD-19 vaccines in the Romanian population was influenced by the level of education, area of residence, and being a COVID-19-vaccinated parent. Public health intervention programs are essential.
13 citations
TL;DR: In this article , the authors aim to accumulate the published mRNA Covid-19 vaccine-associated myocarditis cases, describe their clinical characteristics and determine the factors predisposing to critical illness.
13 citations
References
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TL;DR: Hospitalised COVID-19 patients are frequently elderly subjects with co-morbidities receiving polypharmacy, all of which are known risk factors for d
Abstract: Background: Hospitalised COVID-19 patients are frequently elderly subjects with co-morbidities receiving polypharmacy, all of which are known risk factors for d
14,343 citations
TL;DR: Survey data from across 19 countries reveal heterogeneity in attitudes toward acceptance of a COVID-19 vaccine and suggest that trust in government is associated with vaccine confidence.
Abstract: Several coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines are currently in human trials. In June 2020, we surveyed 13,426 people in 19 countries to determine potential acceptance rates and factors influencing acceptance of a COVID-19 vaccine. Of these, 71.5% of participants reported that they would be very or somewhat likely to take a COVID-19 vaccine, and 48.1% reported that they would accept their employer's recommendation to do so. Differences in acceptance rates ranged from almost 90% (in China) to less than 55% (in Russia). Respondents reporting higher levels of trust in information from government sources were more likely to accept a vaccine and take their employer's advice to do so.
1,923 citations
TL;DR: This study in a nationwide mass vaccination setting suggests that the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine is effective for a wide range of Covid-19–related outcomes, a finding consistent with that of the randomized trial.
Abstract: Background As mass vaccination campaigns against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) commence worldwide, vaccine effectiveness needs to be assessed for a range of outcomes across diverse p...
1,660 citations
TL;DR: Overall, the results showed that multicomponent and dialogue-based interventions were most effective and identified strategies should be carefully tailored according to the target population, their reasons for hesitancy, and the specific context.
735 citations
04 Jan 2021
TL;DR: In this article, a decision analytical model assessed the relative amount of transmission from presymptomatic, never symptomatic, and symptomatic individuals across a range of scenarios in which the proportion of transmissions from people who never develop symptoms (i.e., remain asymptotic) and the infectious period were varied according to published best estimates.
Abstract: Importance Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiology of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is readily transmitted person to person. Optimal control of COVID-19 depends on directing resources and health messaging to mitigation efforts that are most likely to prevent transmission, but the relative importance of such measures has been disputed. Objective To assess the proportion of SARS-CoV-2 transmissions in the community that likely occur from persons without symptoms. Design, Setting, and Participants This decision analytical model assessed the relative amount of transmission from presymptomatic, never symptomatic, and symptomatic individuals across a range of scenarios in which the proportion of transmission from people who never develop symptoms (ie, remain asymptomatic) and the infectious period were varied according to published best estimates. For all estimates, data from a meta-analysis was used to set the incubation period at a median of 5 days. The infectious period duration was maintained at 10 days, and peak infectiousness was varied between 3 and 7 days (−2 and +2 days relative to the median incubation period). The overall proportion of SARS-CoV-2 was varied between 0% and 70% to assess a wide range of possible proportions. Main Outcomes and Measures Level of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from presymptomatic, never symptomatic, and symptomatic individuals. Results The baseline assumptions for the model were that peak infectiousness occurred at the median of symptom onset and that 30% of individuals with infection never develop symptoms and are 75% as infectious as those who do develop symptoms. Combined, these baseline assumptions imply that persons with infection who never develop symptoms may account for approximately 24% of all transmission. In this base case, 59% of all transmission came from asymptomatic transmission, comprising 35% from presymptomatic individuals and 24% from individuals who never develop symptoms. Under a broad range of values for each of these assumptions, at least 50% of new SARS-CoV-2 infections was estimated to have originated from exposure to individuals with infection but without symptoms. Conclusions and Relevance In this decision analytical model of multiple scenarios of proportions of asymptomatic individuals with COVID-19 and infectious periods, transmission from asymptomatic individuals was estimated to account for more than half of all transmissions. In addition to identification and isolation of persons with symptomatic COVID-19, effective control of spread will require reducing the risk of transmission from people with infection who do not have symptoms. These findings suggest that measures such as wearing masks, hand hygiene, social distancing, and strategic testing of people who are not ill will be foundational to slowing the spread of COVID-19 until safe and effective vaccines are available and widely used.
641 citations