Exploring attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination in adults with haematological malignancies

ABSTRACT

Aims: People with haematological malignancies (HM) are at increased risk of severeCOVID-19 infection and death due to underlying immune deficiency and impaired vaccine responses. FromMarch 2021,COVID- 19 vaccination was offered to patients with HM, as part of the Australian COVID-19 vaccination rollout program. This study sought to ascertain whether vaccine hesitancy was a barrier to optimal vaccine uptake and explored the attitudes of people with HM towards COVID-19 vaccination. Method(s) Between June and October 2021, an online survey was distributed to adults with HM at nine Australian health services. The survey collected sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, and attitudes towards COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccination using the Oxford COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Scale, the Oxford COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence and Complacency Scale, and the Disease Influenced Vaccine Acceptance Scale-Six (DIVAS-6). Result(s) Of the 869 survey participants (mean age 64.2 years, 43.6% female), 741 (85.3%) reported receiving at least oneCOVID-19 vaccine dose. Unvaccinated status was significantly associated with younger age, English as a non-dominant language, and shorter duration since diagnosis. Participants who were female or spoke English as their nondominant language reported more negative attitudes towards vaccine side-effects. Unvaccinated participants were more likely to report greater concerns about the vaccine impacting on their HM and treatment (DIVAS-6 Vaccine Vulnerability subscale score B (SE) = 2.71 (0.35), p < 0.001). They were also more likely to report greater vaccine complacency (DIVAS-6 Disease Complacency subscale score B (SE) = 1.79 (0.28), p < 0.001). Conclusion(s) People with HM reported high vaccine uptake, however, participantswho are recently diagnosed with malignancy, female, younger age or for whom English is a non-dominant language may benefit from targeted education strategies to address their vaccine concerns. Clinicians are well-positioned to address their patients' specific vaccine concerns and support the decision-making process, particularly with the need for COVID-19 vaccine boosters.