COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy among people with chronic neurological disorders: A position paper.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Health risks associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection are undisputed. Moreover, the capability of vaccination to prevent symptomatic, severe, and fatal COVID-19 is recognized. There is also early evidence that vaccination can reduce the chance for long COVID-19. Nonetheless, the willingness to get vaccinated and receive booster shots remains subpar among people with neurologic disorders. Vaccine scepticism not only jeopardizes collective efforts to end the COVID-19 pandemic but puts individual lives at risk, as some chronic neurologic diseases are associated with a higher risk for an unfavorable COVID-19 course. METHODS: In this position paper, the NeuroCOVID-19 Task Force of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) summarizes the current knowledge on the prognosis of COVID-19 among patients with neurologic disease, elucidates potential barriers to vaccination coverage, and formulates strategies to overcome vaccination hesitancy. A survey among the Task Force members on the phenomenon of vaccination hesitancy among people with neurologic disease supports the lines of argumentation. RESULTS: The study revealed that people with multiple sclerosis and other nervous system autoimmune disorders are most skeptical of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. The prevailing concerns included the chance of worsening the pre-existing neurological condition, vaccination-related adverse events, and drug interaction. CONCLUSIONS: The EAN NeuroCOVID-19 Task Force reinforces the key role of neurologists as advocates of COVID-19 vaccination. Neurologists need to argue in the interest of their patients about the overwhelming individual and global benefits of COVID-19 vaccination. Moreover, they need to keep on eye on this vulnerable patient group, its concerns, and the emergence of potential safety signals.

Lessons learned from people with neurological diseases at the time of COVID-19: The EFNA-EAN survey.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The European Federation of Neurological Associations (EFNA), in partnership with the NeuroCOVID-19 taskforce of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN), has investigated the impact of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals with neurological diseases, as well as the hopes and fears of these patients about the post-pandemic phase. METHODS: An EFNA-EAN survey was available online to any person living with a neurological disorder in Europe. It consisted of 18 items concerning the impact of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on the medical care of people with neurological disorders, and the hopes and fears of these individuals regarding the post-pandemic phase. RESULTS: For 44.4% of the 443 survey participants, the overall care of their neurological disease during the pandemic was inappropriate. This perception was mainly due to significant delays in accessing medical care (25.7%), insufficiently reliable information received about the potential impact of COVID-19 on their neurological disease (49.6%), and a substantial lack of involvement in their disease management decisions (54.3%). Participants indicated that their major concerns for the post-pandemic phase were experiencing longer waiting times to see a specialist (24.1%), suffering from social isolation and deteriorating mental well-being (23.1%), and facing delays in clinical trials with disinvestment in neuroscience research (13.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the great efforts of health services to cope with the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals with neurological conditions feel they have been left behind. These findings provide invaluable insights for improving the care of patients with neurological disorders in the further course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A plea for equitable global access to COVID-19 diagnostics, vaccination and therapy: The NeuroCOVID-19 Task Force of the European Academy of Neurology.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a multi-organ disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), continues to challenge health and care systems around the globe. The pandemic has disrupted acute neurology services and routine patient care and has impacted the clinical course in patients with chronic neurological disease. COVID-19 appears to have exposed inequalities of societies and healthcare systems and had a disproportionate impact on already vulnerable communities. The next challenge will be to set up initiatives to stop disparities in all aspects related to COVID-19. From the medical perspective, there is a need to consider inequalities in prevention, treatment and long-term consequences. Some of the issues of direct relevance to neurologists are summarised. With this appraisal, the European Academy of Neurology NeuroCOVID-19 Task Force intends to raise awareness of the potential impact of COVID-19 on inequalities in healthcare and calls for action to prevent disparity at individual, national and supranational levels.