Vaccine hesitancy: the next challenge in the fight against COVID-19
- PDF / 706,336 Bytes
- 5 Pages / 595.276 x 790.866 pts Page_size
- 87 Downloads / 179 Views
VACCINE HESITANCY
Vaccine hesitancy: the next challenge in the fight against COVID‑19 Amiel A. Dror1,2 · Netanel Eisenbach1,2 · Shahar Taiber4 · Nicole G. Morozov4 · Matti Mizrachi1,2 · Asaf Zigron2,3 · Samer Srouji2,3 · Eyal Sela1,2 Received: 22 May 2020 / Accepted: 29 July 2020 © Springer Nature B.V. 2020
Abstract Vaccine hesitancy remains a barrier to full population inoculation against highly infectious diseases. Coincident with the rapid developments of COVID-19 vaccines globally, concerns about the safety of such a vaccine could contribute to vaccine hesitancy. We analyzed 1941 anonymous questionnaires completed by healthcare workers and members of the general Israeli population, regarding acceptance of a potential COVID-19 vaccine. Our results indicate that healthcare staff involved in the care of COVID-19 positive patients, and individuals considering themselves at risk of disease, were more likely to self-report acquiescence to COVID-19 vaccination if and when available. In contrast, parents, nurses, and medical workers not caring for SARS-CoV-2 positive patients expressed higher levels of vaccine hesitancy. Interventional educational campaigns targeted towards populations at risk of vaccine hesitancy are therefore urgently needed to combat misinformation and avoid low inoculation rates. Keywords COVID-19 · SARS-CoV-2 vaccine · Vaccine hesitancy · Healthcare staff · Vaccine safety · Israel
Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic can be considered a global unifier, with countries worldwide all challenged to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2. The World Health Organization (WHO) is currently orchestrating a global campaign of prevention, early diagnosis, and medical treatment. Parallel to ongoing efforts to flatten the infection curve, the development of a COVID-19 vaccine represents the holy grail for global health organizations. With numerous clinical vaccine trials in progress, the timeline for public distribution of a safe and effective vaccine is estimated to be between late 2020 and 2022 [1]. However, even vaccine availability * Amiel A. Dror [email protected] 1
Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Galilee Medical Center, Nahariya, Israel
2
The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel
3
Oral and Maxillofacial Department, Galilee Medical Center, Nahariya, Israel
4
Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
does not guarantee sufficient population vaccination as evidenced by vaccine hesitancy [2]. Because previous research indicates that vaccine compliance remains variable and inconsistent, successful inoculation against this disease will require widespread public educational campaigns regarding vaccine safety and efficacy. To evaluate current vaccination compliance rates among Israeli populations, we distributed a multicenter anonymous questionnaire to medical staff and civilians across the country, inquiring whether they would agree to receive a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine on
Data Loading...
