Vaccines
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We aimed to (1) assess parental hesitancy about category A (Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI)) and B (non-EPI) vaccines, (2) assess parental willingness for COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations, and (3) explore the association of vaccination hesitancy of parents and healthcare workers (HCWs). ⋯ In China, parents are more hesitant about category B vaccines than category A vaccines. More than 40% of parents showed hesitancy and a refusal to use COVID-19 and influenza vaccines.
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People living with HIV are a high-risk population concerning the coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) infection, with a poorer prognosis. It is important to achieve high COVID-19 vaccination coverage rates in this group as soon as possible. This project used self-reporting to assess vaccine hesitancy and acceptance among people living with HIV towards the novel COVID-19 vaccine. ⋯ Participants who expressed concerns about their health (p < 0.001), the requirement of mandatory COVID-19 vaccination (p = 0.017), and their chronic disease status (p = 0.026) were independently associated with the acceptance of vaccination. Conversely, participants presenting general vaccine refusal (p < 0.001), concerns about the serious side effects of COVID-19 vaccines (p < 0.001), and those already thinking having an immune status to COVID-19 (p = 0.008) were independently associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Our results suggest that vaccine strategy would be more successful in France with a communication strategy emphasizing the collective benefits of herd immunity in the population living with HIV and reassuring patients with chronic diseases about the safety of the proposed vaccines.
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Hepatitis B (HBV) is a pathogen virus with transmission mechanisms that include contact with the infected blood or bodily fluids of the infected organism. Nowadays, healthcare workers are one of the most exposed groups to HBV. Conventionally, completing a vaccine series dosage with Engerix B® lowers this risk by providing workers with immunity to the virus. ⋯ In our study, we employed a vaccination schedule with the Fendrix® vaccine, performing serology tests on the cases after the application of each dose. The results obtained showed humoral immunity in 92.3% of the cases, with a remarkable increase in antibody titer after the first doses. These encouraging results support the future inclusion of this vaccine as one possible alternative for the immunization to HBV for healthcare workers nonresponsive to Engerix B®.
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Rapid online surveys are an important tool for tracking the public's knowledge and perceptions during infectious disease outbreaks. In June 2020, during the early phases of COVID-19 vaccines development, we conducted a survey in 885 Italian adults that aimed at assessing their attitudes and opinions about vaccination, in addition to their vaccine literacy levels (i.e., skills in finding, understanding, and using information about vaccines). ⋯ Interactive vaccine literacy was significantly higher in January 2021 than in June 2020 (mean score 3.38 vs. 3.27 respectively, p = 0.0021). The percentage of participants willing to be vaccinated against COVID-19 assessed by either-or questions, was equally high in both surveys (>90%), which is quite reassuring, although metrics based on categorical scales cannot identify hesitant subjects.
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South Africa became one of the first African countries to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. As the rest of Africa prepares to receive COVID-19 vaccines, most countries in Africa have set up national-level coordination committees for developing national vaccination deployment plans. ⋯ Countries must devise strategies on how best to enhance public understanding and curb misinformation about the vaccines. With this viewpoint, we unpack the threat of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and offer recommendations for COVID-19 vaccine communication strategies in the South African and Zimbabwean contexts.