Vaccine Discourse During the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Thematic Structure and Source Pattern Study of Tweets (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juwon Hwang ◽  
Min-Hsin Su ◽  
Xiaoya Jiang ◽  
Ruixue Lian ◽  
Arina Tveleneva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Discourse ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Learning Algorithm ◽  
Vaccine Safety ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
Conspiracy Theory ◽  
Thematic Structure ◽  
Safety Concerns ◽  
Communicative Patterns ◽  
Negative Sentiment

BACKGROUND Understanding public discourse about a COVID-19 vaccine in the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic may provide key insights concerning vaccine acceptance or hesitancy. However, few studies have investigated the communicative patterns in which Twitter users participate discursively in vaccine discussions. OBJECTIVE This study aims to investigate 1) the major themes that emerged from public conversation on Twitter concerning vaccines for COVID-19, 2) the topics that were emphasized in tweets with either positive or negative sentiment toward a COVID-19 vaccine, and 3) the type of online accounts in which tweets with either positive or negative sentiment were more likely to circulate. METHODS We randomly extracted a total of 349,979 COVID-19 vaccine-related tweets from the initial four-month period of pandemic planning and initial lockdowns (between March 1 and June 30, 2020). Out of 64,216 unique tweets, a total of 23,133 (36.03%) tweets were classified as positive and 14,051 (21.88%) as negative toward a COVID-19 vaccine using the Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) machine learning algorithm. We conducted Structural Topic Modeling (STM) and Network Analysis (NA) to reveal the distinct thematic structure and connection patterns that characterize positive and negative discourse toward a COVID-19 vaccine on Twitter. RESULTS Our STM analysis revealed the most prominent topic that emerged from the U.S. public discussion on Twitter of a COVID-19 vaccine was “other infectious diseases”, followed by “vaccine safety concerns”, and “conspiracy theory.” Comparing the thematic focus of positive and negative discourses, while the positive discourse demonstrated a broad range of themes such as “vaccine development”, “vaccine effectiveness”, and “safety test”, negative discourse was more narrowly focused on topics such as “conspiracy theory” and “safety concerns.” Beyond topical differences, positive discourse was more likely to interact with verified sources such as scientists/medical sources and the media/journalists, whereas negative discourse tended to interact with politicians, online influencers, and suspended accounts. CONCLUSIONS Positive and negative discourse was not only structured around distinct topics but also circulated within different networks. Our findings suggest that public health communicators need to address specific topics of public concern in varying information hubs to deliver more tailored messages based on audience segmentation, potentially increasing COVID-19 vaccine uptake.

scholarly journals Beliefs associated with Intentions of Non-Physician Healthcare Workers to Receive the COVID-19 Vaccine in Ontario, Canada

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Desveaux ◽  
Rachel Savage ◽  
Mina Tadrous ◽  
Natasha Kithulegoda ◽  
Kelly Thai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Herd Immunity ◽  
Theoretical Domains Framework ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Vaccine Safety ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Post Vaccination ◽  
Safety Concerns ◽  
Ethnic Subgroups ◽  
To Receive

Achieving herd immunity of SARS-CoV-2 through vaccines will require a concerted effort to understand and address barriers to vaccine uptake. We conducted a web-based survey of non-physician HCWs, informed by the Theoretical Domains Framework, measuring intention to vaccinate, beliefs and sources of influence relating to the COVID-19 vaccines, and sociodemographic characteristics. Vaccination non-intent was associated with beliefs that vaccination was not required because of good health, lower confidence that the COVID-19 vaccine would protect their family and patients, and that getting vaccinated was a professional responsibility. Vaccination non-intent was strongly associated with mistrust about how fast the vaccines were developed and vaccine safety concerns. Communication directed at non-physician HCWs should be tailored by ethnic subgroups and settings to increase salience. Messaging should leverage emotions (e.g., pride, hope, fear) to capture interest, while addressing safety concerns and confirming the low risk of side effects in contrast to the substantial morbidity and mortality of COVID-19. Emergent data about reduced transmission post-vaccination will be helpful.

scholarly journals Support for a COVID-19 vaccine mandate in the face of safety concerns and political affiliations: An Australian study

Politics ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 026339572110090
Author(s):  
David T Smith ◽  
Katie Attwell ◽  
Uwana Evers
Keyword(s):  
Vaccine Development ◽  
The Political ◽  
Australian Study ◽  
Safety Concerns ◽  
Government Mandates ◽  
Childhood Vaccine ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Government ◽  
Levels Of Support

COVID-19 vaccine development has been widely awaited, but concerns around acceptance and political polarisation prevail. We sought to determine the willingness of Australians to take a (then prospective) COVID-19 vaccine, compared with their previously recorded opinions about other vaccines. We also sought to determine reasons for hesitancy, levels of support for possible government mandates, and the political basis of support. We surveyed 1200 Australians, including 898 participants in a panel previously asked in 2017 about vaccines and mandates. In all, 66% of respondents indicated they would take a coronavirus vaccine, less than the 88% who in 2017 agreed that vaccines are safe, effective, and necessary. Also, 70% of the respondents who indicated hesitancy were concerned about the safety of the vaccine if it was developed too quickly, and 73% of all respondents agreed that the government should require a coronavirus vaccine for work, travel, and study. This is lower than the 85% who agreed with the childhood vaccine mandate in 2017, but slightly higher than the number of respondents who indicated that they would definitely be willing to take the coronavirus vaccine themselves. Older respondents, higher income respondents, and respondents who vote for major parties were all significantly more likely to take a coronavirus vaccine and to support government requirements.

scholarly journals Faster than warp speed: early attention to COVD-19 by anti-vaccine groups on Facebook

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seth C Kalichman ◽  
Lisa A Eaton ◽  
Valerie A Earnshaw ◽  
Natalie Brousseau
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Vaccine Safety ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
The Us ◽  
Us Government ◽  
Vaccine Information

Abstract Background The unprecedented rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines has faced SARS-CoV- (COVID-19) vaccine hesitancy, which is partially fueled by the misinformation and conspiracy theories propagated by anti-vaccine groups on social media. Research is needed to better understand the early COVID-19 anti-vaccine activities on social media. Methods This study chronicles the social media posts concerning COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines by leading anti-vaccine groups (Dr Tenpenny on Vaccines, the National Vaccine Information Center [NVIC] the Vaccination Information Network [VINE]) and Vaccine Machine in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic (February–May 2020). Results Analysis of 2060 Facebook posts showed that anti-vaccine groups were discussing COVID-19 in the first week of February 2020 and were specifically discussing COVID-19 vaccines by mid-February 2020. COVID-19 posts by NVIC were more widely disseminated and showed greater influence than non-COVID-19 posts. Early COVID-19 posts concerned mistrust of vaccine safety and conspiracy theories. Conclusion Major anti-vaccine groups were sowing seeds of doubt on Facebook weeks before the US government launched its vaccine development program ‘Operation Warp Speed’. Early anti-vaccine misinformation campaigns outpaced public health messaging and hampered the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines.

Understanding Online Conversation about COVID-19 Vaccine on Twitter: Data Mining Approach (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ekaterina Malova
Keyword(s):  
Online Social Networks ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Dissemination ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Vaccine Safety ◽  
Interaction Patterns ◽  
Twitter Users ◽  
The Government ◽  
Online Conversation

BACKGROUND Timely vaccination against COVID-19 can prevent a large number of people from getting infected. However, given the disease novelty and fast vaccine development, some people are hesitant to vaccinate. Online social networks like Twitter produce huge amounts of public health information and impact peoples' vaccination decisions. Hence, it is important to understand the conversation around the COVID-19 vaccination through the lens of social media. OBJECTIVE The present study aimed to define the nature of a larger Twitter conversation around the COVID-19 vaccine and explored interaction patterns between Twitter users engaged in such a conversation. METHODS Data collection took place in November 2020 on the wave of the news about the COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough. In total, 9600 Twitter posts were analyzed using a combination of text and network analysis. RESULTS Results of this study show that mixed-emotions reactions and discussions about potential side effects and vaccine safety dominated the online conversation. Twitter was primarily used for two purposes: information dissemination and opinion expression. Overall, the communication network was sparse, non-reciprocal, decentralized, and highly modular. Four main network clusters highlighted different groups of conversation stakeholders. CONCLUSIONS This study provides important insights into public sentiments, information-seeking behaviors, and online communication patterns during a major COVID-19 crisis. Given the popularity of Twitter among different types of communities and its power for rapid information dissemination, it can be an effective tool for vaccination promotion. Thus, it should be actively used to promote safe and effective vaccination through major stakeholders in the government, science, and health sectors.

Increasing vaccine uptake in Sudan: Development of a web-based intervention (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Majdi Sabahelzain ◽  
Rik Crutzen ◽  
Mohamed Moukhyer ◽  
Hans Bosma ◽  
Bart van den Borne
Keyword(s):  
User Experience ◽  
Vaccine Safety ◽  
Arabic Language ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Content Quality

BACKGROUND WHO described Vaccine hesitancy in 2019 as one of the top 10 threats to global health in high, and low, and middle-income countries. Various communication approaches have been used to engage the public about vaccines and immunization such as mass media and e-health strategies. With the expansion in the use of communication technologies in health in recent years, websites have increasingly been used to support vaccine acceptance and demand and thus increase vaccine uptake. We recently established a web-based intervention called the Tat3im initiative website in Sudan. It aims to increase uptake of vaccines in Sudan by increasing knowledge and addressing issues related to vaccine hesitancy and vaccine safety in the Arabic language OBJECTIVE This article describes the processes that we used to develop and improve this website including the creation of its content. METHODS These processes were informed by using and combining three sources including, Garrett’s user experience framework as a basis for the development, the WHO Vaccine Safety Net's (VSN) criteria for good information practices (i.e. credibility, content (quality and quantity), design and accessibility criteria), and previous relevant research that assessed the local context in Sudan. RESULTS We found that using such evidence as well as combining the VSN's criteria and previous research findings in the five planes of Garrett's framework enabled us to cover many essential elements of user experience and to address issues related to the website’s strategy and content. CONCLUSIONS As the website may be limited due to the high rates of illiteracy as well as relatively low internet use in Sudan, we suggest using social marketing to promote the use of the website as well as monitoring and evaluating the website and users’ experience using different approaches such as visitor traffic and qualitative measures.

scholarly journals COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in underserved communities of North Carolina

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. e0248542
Author(s):  
Irene A. Doherty ◽  
William Pilkington ◽  
Laurin Brown ◽  
Victoria Billings ◽  
Undi Hoffler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Vaccine Safety ◽  
The United States ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Underserved Communities ◽  
Safety Concerns

Background In the United States, underserved communities including Blacks and Latinx are disproportionately affected by COVID-19. This study sought to estimate the prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, describe attitudes related to vaccination, and identify correlates among historically marginalized populations across 9 counties in North Carolina. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey distributed at free COVID-19 testing events in underserved rural and urban communities from August 27 –December 15, 2020. Vaccine hesitancy was defined as the response of “no” or “don’t know/not sure” to whether the participant would get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it became available. Results The sample comprised 948 participants including 27.7% Whites, 59.6% Blacks, 12.7% Latinx, and 63% female. 32% earned <$20K annually, 60% owned a computer and ~80% had internet access at home. The prevalence of vaccine hesitancy was 68.9% including 62.7%, 74%, and 59.5% among Whites, Blacks, and Latinx, respectively. Between September and December, the largest decline in vaccine hesitancy occurred among Whites (27.5 percentage points), followed by Latinx (17.6) and only 12.0 points among Blacks. 51.2% of respondents reported vaccine safety concerns, 23.7% wanted others to get vaccinated first, and 63.1% would trust health care providers about the COVID-19 vaccine. Factors associated with hesitancy in multivariable logistic regression included being female (OR = 1.90 95%CI [1.36, 2.64]), being Black (OR = 1.68 1.16, 2.45]), calendar month (OR = 0.76 [0.63, 0.92]), safety concerns (OR = 4.28 [3.06, 5.97]), and government distrust (OR = 3.57 [2.26, 5.63]). Conclusions This study engaged the community to directly reach underserved minority populations at highest risk of COVID-19 that permitted assessment of vaccine hesitancy (which was much higher than national estimates), driven in part by distrust, and safety concerns.

scholarly journals Population preferences and attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination: a cross-sectional study from Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Junaid Tahir ◽  
Muhammad Saqlain ◽  
Waleed Tariq ◽  
Summaiya Waheed ◽  
Steven H. S. Tan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Positive Attitude ◽  
Family Income ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Cross Sectional

Abstract Background While vaccine development is itself a challenge; ensuring optimal vaccine uptake at population level can present an even more significant challenge. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the Pakistani population’s attitude and preferences towards the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine. Method A cross-sectional study was carried out through an online self-administered questionnaire from 27 September 2020 to 11 October 2020. A total of 883 people responded to the survey. The questionnaire included the participants’ socio-demographic variables, attitudes, beliefs towards the COVID-19 vaccine and acceptance and rejection of vaccination, and reasons for them. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the predictors for vaccine acceptance and willingness to pay for the vaccine. Results A majority (70.8%) of respondents will accept the COVID-19vaccine if available, and 66.8% showed a positive attitude towards vaccination. Monthly family income, education level, self-diagnosis of COVID-19 or a friend, family member, or colleague are significant factors influencing the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination. The dogma of being naturally immune to COVID-19 was a key reason for the refusal of the vaccine. Less than half (48%) of those who refuse will vaccinate themselves if government officials have made it compulsory. A third (33.9%) of participants were willing to pay up to (7 USD) 1000 Pkr (Pakistani Rupees) for the vaccine. Conclusion The population’s positive attitude should be improved by increasing awareness and eradicating false myths about vaccines through large-scale campaigns.

Challenges to Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Acceptability among Women in South India: An Exploratory Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pooja Shah ◽  
Veena Shetty ◽  
Maithri Ganesh ◽  
Avinash K. Shetty
Keyword(s):  
Human Papillomavirus ◽  
Hpv Vaccine ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Social Stigma ◽  
Hpv Vaccination ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Vaccine Safety ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
Human Papillomavirus Vaccine ◽  
Barriers And Challenges

Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer and one of the leading causes of cancer-related death in women in India. Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake in India is low due to cost, low awareness of HPV, social stigma, and other factors. We assessed the awareness, attitudes, and beliefs regarding HPV and HPV vaccination and explored the barriers and challenges to HPV vaccine intent among women in Mangalore, India. An exploratory study was conducted using two focus group discussions (FGDs) and six in-depth one-on-one interviews. FGD-1 comprised nine women aged 18 to 26 years, and FGD-2 comprised seven women aged 27 to 45 years. The FGDs were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic content analysis. Themes identified were limited knowledge of HPV and vaccine, stigma associated with receiving HPV vaccine, vaccine safety concerns, and cost as a barrier to receiving vaccine. Participants expressed desire for physician and government recommendation of the HPV vaccine to validate vaccine intent. Contrasting themes between the two FGDs include support for vaccination at a younger age and lower perception of stigma and judgment in the 18- to 26-year-old group; however, participants in the 27- to 45-year-old group support vaccination at an older age and endorse greater fear of stigma and judgment associated with obtaining vaccination. Education regarding HPV-associated diseases and the HPV vaccine for the general public, physicians, and government officials in conjunction with lowering vaccine cost, improving vaccine access, and encouraging strong physician recommendations are key strategies to scale up HPV vaccine implementation in India.

A Bird’s Eye View of 100 years of research on Hypertension: Machine Learning Classifications of Topics (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mustapha Abba ◽  
Chidozie Nduka ◽  
Seun Anjorin ◽  
Shukri Mohamed ◽  
Emmanuel Agogo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Latent Dirichlet Allocation ◽  
Learning Algorithm ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Research Articles ◽  
Major Cardiovascular Events ◽  
And Shifts ◽  
Negative Sentiment ◽  
Over Time

BACKGROUND Due to scientific and technical advancements in the field, published hypertension research has developed during the last decade. Given the huge amount of scientific material published in this field, identifying the relevant information is difficult. We employed topic modelling, which is a strong approach for extracting useful information from enormous amounts of unstructured text. OBJECTIVE To utilize a machine learning algorithm to uncover hidden topics and subtopics from 100 years of peer-reviewed hypertension publications and identify temporal trends. METHODS The titles and abstracts of hypertension papers indexed in PubMed were examined. We used the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) model to select 20 primary subjects and then ran a trend analysis to see how popular they were over time. RESULTS We gathered 581,750 hypertension-related research articles from 1900 to 2018 and divided them into 20 categories. Preclinical, risk factors, complications, and therapy studies were the categories used to categorise the publications. We discovered themes that were becoming increasingly ‘hot,' becoming less ‘cold,' and being published seldom. Risk variables and major cardiovascular events subjects displayed very dynamic patterns over time (how? – briefly detail here). The majority of the articles (71.2%) had a negative valency, followed by positive (20.6%) and neutral valencies (8.2 percent). Between 1980 and 2000, negative sentiment articles fell somewhat, while positive and neutral sentiment articles climbed significantly. CONCLUSIONS This unique machine learning methodology provided fascinating insights on current hypertension research trends. This method allows researchers to discover study subjects and shifts in study focus, and in the end, it captures the broader picture of the primary concepts in current hypertension research articles. CLINICALTRIAL Not applicable

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