Assessment of COVID-19 vaccine attitude in people with multiple sclerosis, its correlation with demographic factors, and fear of coronavirus: A cross-sectional survey

ABSTRACT

Background: Despite special global considerations which have been made to prioritize vaccination of people with multiple sclerosis (MS), some are reluctant to get vaccinated. This study was aimed to evaluate the attitude toward coronavirus disease -2019 (COVID-19) vaccine and its probable correlations.Methods: Considering the study objectives, two valid questionnaires including Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) and attitude questionnaires were administered pre and post COVID-19 vaccination among people with MS.Results: The questionnaires were administered among 349 people with MS pre and post vaccination. The mean age of participants was 38.78 +/- 8.68 (range 19 to 64) years. They all received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine (Sinopharm). Although about 90% of participants felt satisfied after getting vaccinated and respected the preventive actions like social distancing and wearing face mask after vaccination, about 40% of them did not recommend vaccination to other patients. None of the demographic data was predictor of attitude score in COVID-19 vaccine and the only effective factor regarding fear of COVID-19 among people with MS was gender (P = 0.001).