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Public Attitudes and Factors of COVID-19 Testing Hesitancy in the United Kingdom and China: Comparative Infodemiology Study.
Lin, Leesa; Song, Yi; Wang, Qian; Pu, Jialu; Sun, Fiona Yueqian; Zhang, Yixuan; Zhou, Xinyu; Larson, Heidi J; Hou, Zhiyuan.
  • Lin L; Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine London United Kingdom.
  • Song Y; Laboratory of Data Discovery for Health Hong Kong Science Park Hong Kong SAR China.
  • Wang Q; School of Public Health Fudan University Shanghai China.
  • Pu J; School of Public Health Fudan University Shanghai China.
  • Sun FY; School of Public Health Fudan University Shanghai China.
  • Zhang Y; Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine London United Kingdom.
  • Zhou X; School of Public Health Fudan University Shanghai China.
  • Larson HJ; School of Public Health Fudan University Shanghai China.
  • Hou Z; Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine London United Kingdom.
JMIR Infodemiology ; 1(1): e26895, 2021.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1430611
ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:

Massive community-wide testing has become the cornerstone of management strategies for the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE:

This study was a comparative analysis between the United Kingdom and China, which aimed to assess public attitudes and uptake regarding COVID-19 testing, with a focus on factors of COVID-19 testing hesitancy, including effectiveness, access, risk perception, and communication.

METHODS:

We collected and manually coded 3856 UK tweets and 9299 Chinese Sina Weibo posts mentioning COVID-19 testing from June 1 to July 15, 2020. Adapted from the World Health Organization's 3C Model of Vaccine Hesitancy, we employed social listening analysis examining key factors of COVID-19 testing hesitancy (confidence, complacency, convenience, and communication). Descriptive analysis, time trends, geographical mapping, and chi-squared tests were performed to assess the temporal, spatial, and sociodemographic characteristics that determine the difference in attitudes or uptake of COVID-19 tests.

RESULTS:

The UK tweets demonstrated a higher percentage of support toward COVID-19 testing than the posts from China. There were much wider reports of public uptake of COVID-19 tests in mainland China than in the United Kingdom; however, uncomfortable experiences and logistical barriers to testing were more expressed in China. The driving forces for undergoing COVID-19 testing were personal health needs, community-wide testing, and mandatory testing policies for travel, with major differences in the ranking order between the two countries. Rumors and information inquiries about COVID-19 testing were also identified.

CONCLUSIONS:

Public attitudes and acceptance toward COVID-19 testing constantly evolve with local epidemic situations. Policies and information campaigns that emphasize the importance of timely testing and rapid communication responses to inquiries and rumors, and provide a supportive environment for accessing tests are key to tackling COVID-19 testing hesitancy and increasing uptake.
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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Type of study: Prognostic study / Qualitative research Topics: Vaccines Language: English Journal: JMIR Infodemiology Year: 2021 Document Type: Article

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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Type of study: Prognostic study / Qualitative research Topics: Vaccines Language: English Journal: JMIR Infodemiology Year: 2021 Document Type: Article