COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Australian Patients with Solid Organ Cancers

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy: assessing the prevalence, predictors, and effectiveness of a community pharmacy based counseling intervention

BACKGROUND

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine hesitancy is a global challenge. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the problem has persisted despite vaccine availability and decreasing infections. In Uganda, there is still limited information on the extent and predictors of vaccine hesitancy. This study sought to assess the prevalence and predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, and the effectiveness of an intervention that involved community pharmacy counseling in combating COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.

METHODS

A total of 394 participants were enrolled in a 4-week prospective cohort interventional study. The study was conducted across eight community pharmacies in Mbarara City, between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM daily. The study personnel ascertained the vaccination status of all clients seeking community pharmacy services. All unvaccinated clients were consecutively assessed for eligibility, and eligible clients were systematically enrolled after receiving the community pharmacy services for which they requested. The study intervention involved structured participant counseling (within the pharmacy premise), follow-up short message service (weekly), and telephone calls (bi-weekly). Only participants who did not accept to receive the COVID-19 vaccine despite counseling were followed up for four weeks, or until they accepted to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The effectiveness of the community pharmacy counseling intervention was determined as an increase in COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, and desirable attitudinal change towards COVID-19 disease, vaccination exercise, and vaccines. Descriptive analysis was used to summarize data, and multivariate analysis was used to determine the predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

Out of 394 participants, 221 (56%) were hesitant to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Participants expressed several reasons (mean 2±1) for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, mostly concerning vaccine safety (N=160, 47.3%). The overall COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rate increased by 25.4 percent points (43.9 - 69.3 percent points) after the study intervention. Age, religion, level of education, distance from the nearest public health facility, having a friend/family diagnosed with COVID-19, and personal suspicion of contracting COVID-19 were significant predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.

CONCLUSION

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is a big challenge in Uganda. A mix of sociodemographic and COVID-19 vaccine perceptions are the key predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Although COVID-19 vaccines were not available at the time of the study, this study found that structured counseling interventions can improve COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates. Larger prospective studies should evaluate the effectiveness of similar interventions in community pharmacies and other healthcare settings.

Vaccination status and attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination in patients undergoing active cancer treatment in a referral center in Mexico: a survey study

BACKGROUND

COVID-19 vaccination refusal/hesitancy among patients with cancer has been reported to be high. This study aimed to assess vaccination status and attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines in patients with cancer undergoing active treatment in a single center in Mexico.

METHODS

A cross-sectional, 26-item survey evaluating vaccination status and attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination was conducted among patients undergoing active cancer treatment. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the sociodemographic characteristics, vaccination status, and attitudes. X2 tests and multivariate analysis were used to evaluate associations between characteristics and attitudes with adequate vaccination status.

RESULTS

Of 201 respondents, 95% had received at least one dose, and 67% had adequate COVID-19 vaccination status (≥ 3 doses). Thirty-six percent of patients had at least one reason for doubting/rejecting vaccination, and the main reason was being afraid of side effects. On multivariate analysis, age ≥ 60 years (odds ratio (OR) 3.77), mass media as main source of information on COVID-19 (OR 2.55), agreeing vaccination against COVID-19 is safe in patients with cancer (OR 3.11), and not being afraid of the composition of the COVID-19 vaccines (OR 5.10) statistically increased the likelihood of adequate vaccination status.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study shows high vaccination rates and positive attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines, with a significant proportion of patients undergoing active cancer treatment with adequate vaccination status (≥ 3 doses). Older age, use of mass media as main source of COVID-19 information, and positive attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines were significantly associated with a higher likelihood of adequate COVID-19 vaccination status among patients with cancer.

Frequency and temporal evolution of COVID-19 vaccination rate among oncological patients undergoing 18F-FDG-PET

PURPOSE

To evaluate the temporal evolution of vaccination against COVID-19 in a Swiss oncological cohort.

METHODS

History of complete vaccination (i.e. at least two vaccine doses) against COVID-19 of patients undergoing oncological 18F-FDG PET/CT between February and September 2021 (n = 2613) was taken. Vaccination rate was compared with age-matched national data from the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health. Subgroup differences in temporal evolution of vaccination rate were analyzed by fitting a generalized linear model and determined by significant interaction between, sex, oncological diagnosis, and month of examination.

RESULTS

Rate of complete vaccination against COVID-19 steadily increased and reached 81 % in September 2021. The fraction of vaccinated patients in the oncological cohort was higher in the beginning and approached the fraction in the age-matched general Swiss population at the end of the study period. Month of exam (p < 0.001) was the only significant predictor of the vaccination rate.

CONCLUSION

Vaccination rate against COVID-19 in a Swiss oncological cohort increased steadily from February to September 2021. Compared to the age-matched general population it was higher in the beginning and similar by the end of the study period. Ethics approval: Trial registration: BASEC 2021-00444, Ethikkommission Zürich (Cantonal Ethics Committee Zurich), Switzerland, registered February 24th 2021.