ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Health authorities have struggled to increase vaccination uptake since the COVID-19 vaccines became available. However, there have been increasing concerns about declining immunity after the initial COVID-19 vaccination with the emergence of new variants. Booster doses were implemented as a complementary policy to increase protection against COVID-19. Egyptian hemodialysis (HD) patients have shown a high rate of hesitancy to COVID-19 primary vaccination, yet their willingness to receive booster doses is unknown. This study aimed to assess COVID-19 vaccine booster hesitancy and its associated factors in Egyptian HD patients. METHODS: A face-to-face interview was conducted with closed-ended questionnaires distributed to healthcare workers in seven Egyptian HD centers, mainly located in three Egyptian governorates, between the 7th of March and the 7th of April 2022. RESULTS: Among 691 chronic HD patients, 49.3% (n = 341) were willing to take the booster dose. The main reason for booster hesitancy was the opinion that a booster dose is unnecessary (n = 83, 44.9%). Booster vaccine hesitancy was associated with female gender, younger age, being single, Alexandria and urban residency, the use of a tunneled dialysis catheter, not being fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Odds of booster hesitancy were higher among participants who did not receive full COVID-19 vaccination and among those who were not planning to take the influenza vaccine (10.8 and 4.2, respectively). CONCLUSION: COVID-19 booster-dose hesitancy among HD patients in Egypt represents a major concern, is associated with vaccine hesitancy with respect to other vaccines and emphasizes the need to develop effective strategies to increase vaccine uptake.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 Vaccines , COVID-19 , Humans , Female , COVID-19/epidemiology , COVID-19/prevention & control , Egypt , Renal Dialysis/adverse effectsABSTRACT
(1) Background: Vaccination may be a key intervention to prevent infection in chronic hemodialysis (CHD) patients. This study aimed to determine the COVID-19 vaccination status in Egyptian CHD patients and to analyze the safety and detailed side effect profile of the COVID-19 vaccine among these patients. (2) Methods: This survey-based study was conducted on 670 end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on CHD from 3 December 2021 to 5 February 2022. Subjects were asked about sociodemographic characteristics, clinical and therapeutic data, in addition to their COVID-19 vaccination status. If the subject had been vaccinated, we inquired about the type of vaccine and the side effects that occurred within a few days after administration of the first and second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Additionally, subjects were asked about the onset of side effects (days from vaccination), timing of maximum symptoms, intensity of symptoms and their effect on activity and need for medical attention. (3) Results: The study included 670 CHD patients with a mean age of 50.79 years; 58.1% were females. The vast majority (614; 91.6%) of the studied patients received two doses of the vaccine. Side effects were more commonly reported after the first dose than the second dose. The main side effects reported were generalized weakness/fatigue (56%), headache (43.8%) and fever (40.4%), and sore arm/pain was also reported (29.3%). Adverse events mostly occurred within one day after vaccination and the maximum symptoms usually happened on the second day. The median duration of symptoms was 3 days with a maximum duration up to 5 days. The univariate logistic regression analysis showed that male gender (OR 1.848; (95% CI, 1.242-2.749), p = 0.002), age (OR 0.981; (95% CI, 0.969-0.993), p = 0.003), smoking (OR 6.067; (95% CI, 3.514-10.475), p < 0.001), duration since starting HD (OR 0.998; (95% CI, 0.998-0.999), p < 0.001), associated comorbidities (OR 2.202; (95% CI, 1.478-3.281), p < 0.001) and prior COVID-19 infection (OR 3.318; (95% CI, 1.952-5.642), p < 0.001) were the main determinants of adverse events related to COVID-19 vaccination. (4) Conclusions: our preliminary findings support the favorable short-term safety profile of the COVID-19 vaccine among CHD patients, and hence can reassure both clinicians and patients, as well as further promote COVID-19 vaccine administration among these patients.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Following the emergency approval of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines, research into its vaccination hesitancy saw a substantial increase. However, the psychological behaviors associated with this hesitancy are still not completely understood. This study assessed the psychological antecedents associated with COVID-19 vaccination in the Arab population. METHODOLOGY: The validated Arabic version of the 5C questionnaire was distributed online across various social media platforms in Arabic-speaking countries. The questionnaire had three sections, namely, socio-demographics, COVID-19 related infection and vaccination, and the 5C scale of vaccine psychological antecedents of confidence, complacency, constraints, calculation, and collective responsibility. RESULTS: In total, 4,474 participants with a mean age of 32.48 ± 10.76 from 13 Arab countries made up the final sample, 40.8% of whom were male. Around 26.7% of the participants were found to be confident about the COVID-19 vaccination, 10.7% indicated complacency, 96.5% indicated they had no constraints, 48.8% had a preference for calculation and 40.4% indicated they had collective responsibility. The 5C antecedents varied across the studied countries with the confidence and collective responsibility being the highest in the United Arab Emirates (59.0% and 58.0%, respectively), complacency and constraints in Morocco (21.0% and 7.0%, respectively) and calculation in Sudan (60.0%). The regression analyses revealed that sex, age, educational degrees, being a health care professional, history of COVID-19 infection and having a relative infected or died from COVID-19 significantly predicted the 5C psychological antecedents by different degrees. CONCLUSION: There are wide psychological antecedent variations between Arab countries, and different determinants can have a profound effect on the COVID-19 vaccine's psychological antecedents.