scholarly journals Vaccine and COVID-19 Trajectories: Equal vaccine rates do not reduce inequality in COVID-19 rates

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate H. Choi ◽  
Patrick Denice ◽  
Sagi Ramaj
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Administrative Data ◽  
Demographic Characteristics ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Prior Work ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
Small Impact ◽  
Public Health Officials ◽  
The City ◽  
Silver Bullet

Researchers and public health officials posit that vaccine equity holds the key to ending the pandemic. Yet, most prior work on vaccine equity focuses on vaccine hesitancy and seldom compares the vaccine trajectories of neighborhoods with varying COVID-19 levels. Notably scarce are also studies that examine the extent to which vaccination helps reduce inequalities in the prevalence of COVID-19. Using administrative data from the City of Toronto, we compare the vaccine trajectories of neighborhoods with low, moderate, and high COVID-19 rates. We also examine whether disparities in COVID-19 rates by a neighborhood’s COVID-19 rates as vaccinations have increased. By mid-June 2021, differences in vaccination rates by the neighborhoods’ COVID-19 levels are small. The vaccination rollout has only had a small impact on disparities in COVID-19 rates across neighborhoods. Equality in vaccination rates is by no means a silver bullet to reduce inequalities in COVID-19 infections across neighborhoods with varying socio-demographic characteristics.

scholarly journals Vaccine and COVID-19 Trajectories

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 237802312110529
Author(s):  
Kate H. Choi ◽  
Patrick A. Denice ◽  
Sagi Ramaj
Keyword(s):  
Administrative Data ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
Sociodemographic Characteristics ◽  
Prior Work ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
The City ◽  
Silver Bullet ◽  
Over Time

Vaccine equity holds the key to ending the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Yet most prior work on vaccine equity has compared vaccine uptake across neighborhoods with varying sociodemographic composition or assessed whether vaccine disparity across neighborhoods has diminished over time. Researchers seldom examine the extent to which vaccination helps reduce inequalities in the prevalence of COVID-19 across neighborhoods. Using administrative data from the City of Toronto, the authors compare the vaccine trajectories of neighborhoods with low, moderate, and high COVID-19 rates. The authors also examine whether disparities in COVID-19 rates have narrowed or widened as vaccinations have become more available. By mid-June 2021, differences in vaccination rates by neighborhoods’ COVID-19 levels were small, but disparities in COVID-19 rates across neighborhoods persisted. Equality in vaccination rates is not a silver bullet to reducing inequalities in COVID-19 infections across neighborhoods with varying sociodemographic characteristics and likely variations in exposure to the COVID-19 virus.

scholarly journals Antecedents of Vaccine Hesitancy in WEIRD and East Asian Contexts

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel S. Courtney ◽  
Ana-Maria Bliuc
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Mmr Vaccine ◽  
Specific Context ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Effective Science

Following decreasing vaccination rates over the last two decades, understanding the roots of vaccine hesitancy has become a public health priority. Vaccine hesitancy is linked to scientifically unfounded fears around the MMR vaccine and autism which are often fuelled by misinformation spread on social media. To counteract the effects of misinformation about vaccines and in particular the falling vaccination rates, much research has focused on identifying the antecedents of vaccine hesitancy. As antecedents of vaccine hesitancy are contextually dependent, a one-size-fits-all approach is unlikely to be successful in non-WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, and Democratic) populations, and even in certain (non-typical) WEIRD sub-populations. Successful interventions to reduce vaccine hesitancy must be based on understanding of the specific context. To identify potential contextual differences in the antecedents of vaccine hesitancy, we review research from three non-WEIRD populations in East Asia, and three WEIRD sub-populations. We find that regardless of the context, mistrust seems to be the key factor leading to vaccine hesitancy. However, the object of mistrust varies across WEIRD and non-WEIRD populations, and across WEIRD subgroups suggesting that effective science communication must be mindful of these differences.

scholarly journals Myths Surrounding Covid-19 Vaccine Candidates: A Guide to Fight Back

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Zizzo
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Herd Immunity ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
Protective Measure ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Health Providers ◽  
Vaccine Candidates ◽  
The Public ◽  
News Organizations ◽  
Public Health Officials

The Covid-19 pandemic has propelled public health officials into the socio-political sphere due to the need for constantly updated information on behalf of the public. However, many individuals choose to acquire health information/guidance from indirect sources, including social media, news organizations, and general word of mouth. As a result, myths and false narratives about various essential health topics, including vaccine characteristics and protective measures, can circulate un-verified between millions of individuals with little recourse. These can further widen the “gap” between public knowledge and current research, resulting in lower vaccine uptake (vaccine hesitancy) and protective measure adherence. Such actions have profound implications as nations attempt to achieve herd immunity and end the pandemic once and for all. Thus, it is vital that public health officials, health providers, researchers, and the general public be able to differentiate common Covid-19 myths from facts and be prepared to approach such interactions via sound reasoning and research-based evidence. This chapter will serve as a guide to accomplish just that.

Predictive Modeling of Vaccination Uptake in U.S. Counties: A Machine Learning-based Approach (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Queena Cheong ◽  
Martin Au-yeung ◽  
Stephanie Quon ◽  
Katsy Concepcion ◽  
Jude Dzevela Kong
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Machine Learning ◽  
Predictive Modelling ◽  
Sociodemographic Factors ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
Vaccination Uptake ◽  
Sociodemographic Data ◽  
Public Health Officials ◽  
The U.S

BACKGROUND While the COVID-19 pandemic has left an unprecedented impact globally, countries such as the United States of America have reported the most significant incidence of COVID-19 cases worldwide. Within the U.S., various sociodemographic factors have played an essential role in the creation of regional disparities. Regional disparities have resulted in the unequal spread of disease between U.S. counties, underscoring the need for efficient and accurate predictive modelling strategies to inform public health officials and reduce the burden on healthcare systems. Furthermore, despite the widespread accessibility of COVID-19 vaccines across the U.S., vaccination rates have become stagnant, necessitating predictive modelling to identify important factors impacting vaccination uptake. OBJECTIVE To determine the association between sociodemographic factors and vaccine uptake across counties in the U.S. METHODS Sociodemographic data on fully vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals were sourced from several online databases, such as the U.S. Centre for Disease Control and U.S. Census Bureau COVID-19 Site. Machine learning analysis was performed using XGBoost and sociodemographic data. RESULTS Our model predicted COVID-19 vaccination uptake across U.S. countries with 59% accuracy. In addition, it identified location, education, ethnicity, and income as the most critical sociodemographic features in predicting vaccination uptake in U.S. counties. Lastly, the model produced a choropleth demonstrating areas of low and high vaccination rates, which can be used by healthcare authorities in future pandemics to visualize and prioritize areas of low vaccination and design targeted vaccination campaigns. CONCLUSIONS Our study reveals that sociodemographic characteristics are predictors of vaccine uptake rate across counties in the U.S. and if leveraged appropriately can assist policy makers and public health officials to understand vaccine uptake rates and craft policies to improve them.

scholarly journals To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate—This Is the Question among Swiss University Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (17) ◽  
pp. 9210
Author(s):  
Julia Dratva ◽  
Aylin Wagner ◽  
Annina Zysset ◽  
Thomas Volken
Keyword(s):  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Herd Immunity ◽  
Vaccination Strategy ◽  
Collective Responsibility ◽  
Subjective Health ◽  
Demographic Characteristics ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Subjective Health Status ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
Vaccination History

The speed and innovation of the COVID-19 vaccine development has been accompanied by insecurity and skepticism. Young adults’ attitude to vaccination remains under investigation, although herd immunity cannot be reached without them. The HEalth in Students during the Corona pandemic study (HES-C) provided the opportunity to investigate vaccination intention in 1478 students in the sixth survey wave (January 2021), including vaccination intention, psychological antecedents of vaccine hesitancy, trust in government’s vaccination strategy, and vaccination history. Associations with vaccination intention were analyzed with multivariate ordinal regression and predicted margins were calculated adjusting for gender, age, anxiety, health profession, and subjective health status. A third was decided (yes 25.1%, no 7.6%), and 68% were unsure about getting the COVID-19 vaccine when available. Next to demographic characteristics, vaccination history (influenza vaccination OR = 1.39; 95% CI: 1.06–1.83, travel vaccination OR = 1.29; 95% CI: 1.04–1.60), trust in vaccination strategy (OR = 2.40; 95% CI: 1.89–3.05), and 5C dimensions were associated with vaccination intention: confidence (OR = 2.52; 95% CI: 2.09–3.03), complacency (OR = 0.79; 95% CI: 0.66–0.96), calculation (OR = 0.79; 95% CI: 0.70–0.89), constraints (OR = 1.18; 95% CI: 0.99–1.41), and collective responsibility (OR = 4.47; 95% CI: 3.69–5.40). Addressing psychological antecedents and strengthening trust in official strategies through targeted campaigns and interventions may increase decisiveness and result in higher vaccination rates.

scholarly journals Preparing for a COVID-19 vaccine: Identifying and psychologically profiling those who are vaccine hesitant or resistant in two general population samples

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie Murphy ◽  
Frédérique Vallières ◽  
Richard Bentall ◽  
Mark Shevlin ◽  
Orla McBride ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Psychological Constructs ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Health Strategy ◽  
Broad Array ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Public Health Officials ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Uk

Successful delivery of a COVID-19 vaccine may be undermined if populations are not receptive to inoculation as a primary public health strategy for combatting the virus. We gathered nationally representative data from the general adult populations of Ireland (N=1,041) and the United Kingdom (UK; N=2,025) to determine rates of hesitancy and resistance to a future COVID-19 vaccine and to identify and psychologically profile vaccine hesitant/resistant individuals in a way that might aid future public health messaging. Vaccine hesitancy was evident for 26% and 25% of Irish and UK samples, respectively, while vaccine resistance was evident for 9% and 6%, respectively. Vaccine hesitant/resistant respondents in Ireland and the UK differed in relation to a number of sociodemographic, political, and health-related variables, but were similar across a broad array of psychological constructs. In both populations, those who were resistant to a COVID-19 vaccine were less likely to obtain information about the pandemic from traditional and authoritative sources and had similar levels of mistrust in these sources. The current findings may help public health officials to more effectively target vaccine hesitant and resistant individuals, develop effective communication strategies that take into account their specific psychological dispositions, and leverage dissemination channels that can successfully reach these individuals.

scholarly journals SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Hesitancy in a Sample of US Adults: Role of Perceived Satisfaction With Health, Access to Healthcare, and Attention to COVID-19 News

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Bauerle Bass ◽  
Maureen Wilson-Genderson ◽  
Dina T. Garcia ◽  
Aderonke A. Akinkugbe ◽  
Maghboeba Mosavel
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
New York ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Healthcare Access ◽  
The United States ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Vaccination Rates

Understanding which communities are most likely to be vaccine hesitant is necessary to increase vaccination rates to control the spread of SARS-CoV-2. This cross-sectional survey of adults (n = 501) from three cities in the United States (Miami, FL, New York City, NY, San Francisco, CA) assessed the role of satisfaction with health and healthcare access and consumption of COVID-19 news, previously un-studied variables related to vaccine hesitancy. Multilevel logistic regression tested the relationship between vaccine hesitancy and study variables. Thirteen percent indicated they would not get vaccinated. Black race (OR 2.6; 95% CI: 1.38–5.3), income (OR = 0.64; 95% CI: 0.50–0.83), inattention to COVID-19 news (OR = 1.6; 95% CI: 1.1–2.5), satisfaction with health (OR 0.72; 95% CI: 0.52–0.99), and healthcare access (OR = 1.7; 95% CI: 1.2–2.7) were associated with vaccine hesitancy. Public health officials should consider these variables when designing public health communication about the vaccine to ensure better uptake.

scholarly journals Addressing Parental Vaccine Hesitancy and Other Barriers to Childhood/Adolescent Vaccination Uptake During the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olufunto A. Olusanya ◽  
Robert A. Bednarczyk ◽  
Robert L. Davis ◽  
Arash Shaban-Nejad
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Policy Decision ◽  
The United States ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Children And Adolescent ◽  
Vaccination Rates

Routine childhood immunizations are proven to be one of the most effective public health interventions at controlling numerous deadly diseases. Therefore, the CDC recommends routine immunizations for children and adolescent populations against vaccine-preventable diseases e.g., tetanus, pertussis, diphtheria, etc. This current review sought to examine barriers to pediatric vaccine uptake behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also explored the implications for parental vaccine hesitancy/delay during an ongoing health crisis and proposed recommendations for increasing vaccine confidence and compliance. Our review determined that the receipt for vaccinations steadily improved in the last decade for both the United States and Tennessee. However, this incremental progress has been forestalled by the COVID-19 pandemic and other barriers i.e. parental vaccine hesitancy, social determinants of health (SDoH) inequalities, etc. which further exacerbate vaccination disparities. Moreover, non-compliance to routine vaccinations could cause an outbreak of diseases, thereby, worsening the ongoing health crisis and already strained health care system. Healthcare providers are uniquely positioned to offer effective recommendations with presumptive languaging to increase vaccination rates, as well as, address parental vaccine hesitancy. Best practices that incorporate healthcare providers’ quality improvement coaching, vaccination reminder recall systems, adherence to standardized safety protocols (physical distancing, hand hygiene practices, etc.), as well as, offer telehealth and outdoor/drive-through/curbside vaccination services, etc. are warranted. Additionally, a concerted effort should be made to utilize public health surveillance systems to collect, analyze, and interpret data, thereby, ensuring the dissemination of timely, accurate health information for effective health policy decision-making e.g., vaccine distribution, etc.

scholarly journals Using population-wide administrative and laboratory data to estimate type- and subtype-specific influenza vaccine effectiveness: a surveillance protocol

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. e029708
Author(s):  
Allison Nicole Scott ◽  
Sarah A Buchan ◽  
Jeffrey C Kwong ◽  
Steven J Drews ◽  
Kimberley A Simmonds ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Influenza Vaccine ◽  
Administrative Data ◽  
Laboratory Data ◽  
Healthcare Setting ◽  
Vaccine Effectiveness ◽  
Administrative Databases ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Public Health Officials ◽  
The University

IntroductionThe appropriateness of using routinely collected laboratory data combined with administrative data for estimating influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) is still being explored. This paper outlines a protocol to estimate influenza VE using linked laboratory and administrative data which could act as a companion to estimates derived from other methods.Methods and analysisWe will use the test-negative design to estimate VE for each influenza type/subtype and season. Province-wide individual-level records of positive and negative influenza tests at the Provincial Laboratory for Public Health in Alberta will be linked, by unique personal health numbers, to administrative databases and vaccination records held at the Ministry of Health in Alberta to determine covariates and influenza vaccination status, respectively. Covariates of interests include age, sex, immunocompromising chronic conditions and healthcare setting. Cases will be defined based on an individual’s first positive influenza test during the season, and potential controls will be defined based on an individual’s first negative influenza test during the season. One control for each case will be randomly selected based on the week the specimen was collected. We will estimate VE using multivariable logistic regression.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval was obtained from the University of Alberta’s Health Research Ethics Board—Health Panel under study ID Pro00075997. Results will be disseminated by public health officials in Alberta.

scholarly journals Country-of-Origin Bias towards COVID-19 Vaccination: Evidence from Turkey

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ceyhun Elgin ◽  
Alison Galvani ◽  
Hatime Kamilcelebi
Keyword(s):  
Subjective Evaluation ◽  
Country Of Origin ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Major Barrier ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Health Officials ◽  
Logistic Regressions ◽  
People’S Perceptions

Rapid vaccination against COVID-19 is viewed to be the only way to exit from the current pandemic. In addition to the difficulties in the production and global distribution of the vaccines, one major barrier behind this is the vaccine hesitancy, and particularly biases to vaccines of different countries of origin among the public. In this study We conducted a cross-sectional vignette study and designed five online surveys, where the participants were given some information about the efficacy of vaccines from different countries of origin. We then used standard mean comparison tests and (ordered) logistic regressions to provide evidence for the country-of-origin bias of the COVID-19 vaccines. 1615 participants answered our five surveys. Even though the two vaccines are reported to have the same efficacy, participants' subjective evaluation of the vaccine's efficacy as well as their willingness to get vaccinated is significantly higher when the vaccine is from Germany rather than from China. Ordered logistic regressions also support the existence of a bias in favor of a vaccine from Germany rather than from China. This study underscores that manufacturing origin plays a significant role in people’s perceptions about the vaccine as well as their intentions to get vaccinated. Public health officials and scientists should take this into account, particularly due to the fact that the vaccination rates in the next few months will play a key role to control the pandemic.

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