scholarly journals Predictors of COVID-19 Vaccination among Veterans Experiencing Homelessness

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 1268
Author(s):  
Michelle D. Balut ◽  
Karen Chu ◽  
June L. Gin ◽  
Aram Dobalian ◽  
Claudia Der-Martirosian
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Vaccination Rate ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
Homeless Population ◽  
Department Of Veterans Affairs ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
Homeless Veterans ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Housing Services

Sufficient uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine is key to slowing the spread of the coronavirus among the most vulnerable in society, including individuals experiencing homelessness. However, COVID-19 vaccination rates among the Veteran homeless population are currently unknown. This study examines the COVID-19 vaccination rate among homeless Veterans who receive care at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the factors that are associated with vaccine uptake. Using VA administrative and clinical data, bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to identify the sociodemographic, health-related, and healthcare and housing services utilization factors that influenced COVID-19 vaccine uptake during the first eight months of the vaccine rollout (December 2020–August 2021). Of the 83,528 Veterans experiencing homelessness included in the study, 45.8% were vaccinated for COVID-19. Non-white, older Veterans (65+), females, those who received the seasonal flu vaccine, and Veterans with multiple comorbidities and mental health conditions were more likely to be vaccinated. There was a strong association between COVID-19 vaccination and Veterans who utilized VA healthcare and housing services. VA healthcare and homeless service providers are particularly well-positioned to provide trusted information and overcome access barriers for homeless Veterans to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Vaccination Rates in a Cohort Study of Patients With Mental Illness in Residential and Community Care

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Mazereel ◽  
Tom Vanbrabant ◽  
Franciska Desplenter ◽  
Johan Detraux ◽  
Livia De Picker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Care Center ◽  
Psychosocial Care ◽  
Vaccination Rate ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
People With Mental Illness ◽  
Increased Risk

Background: Patients with mental illness are at increased risk for COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality. Vaccination against COVID-19 is important to prevent or mitigate these negative consequences. However, concerns have been raised over vaccination rates in these patients.Methods: We retrospectively examined vaccine uptake in a large sample of Belgian patients admitted to or residing in a university psychiatric hospital or community mental health care setting between 29th of March 2021 and 30th of September 2021 in the Flanders Region. All patients were offered vaccination. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. Logistic regression was used to examine factors associated with vaccine uptake.Results: 2,105 patients were included in the sample, of which 1,931 agreed to be vaccinated, corresponding with a total vaccination rate of 91.7%. Logistic regression showed an effect of the diagnosis “other disorders” (OR = 0.08, CI = 0.005–0.45), age (OR = 1.03, CI = 1.02–1.04) and residing in the psychosocial care center (OR = 0.50, CI = 0.32–0.80) on vaccination status.Conclusion: Vaccine uptake among people with mental illness is high and comparable to the general population, when implementing a targeted vaccination program.

scholarly journals Mobility network reveals the impact of geographic vaccination heterogeneity on COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan Yuan ◽  
Eaman Jahani ◽  
Shengjia Zhao ◽  
Yong-Yeol Ahn ◽  
Alex Pentland
Keyword(s):  
Computational Models ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Vaccination Campaign ◽  
Vaccination Rate ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Hub Effect ◽  
The U.S

ABSTRACTMassive vaccination is one of the most effective epidemic control measures. Because one’s vaccination decision is shaped by social processes (e.g., socioeconomic sorting and social contagion), the pattern of vaccine uptake tends to show strong social and geographical heterogeneity, such as urban-rural divide and clustering. Yet, little is known to what extent and how the vaccination heterogeneity affects the course of outbreaks. Here, leveraging the unprecedented availability of data and computational models produced during the COVID-19 pandemic, we investigate two network effects—the “hub effect” (hubs in the mobility network usually have higher vaccination rates) and the “homophily effect” (neighboring places tend to have similar vaccination rates). Applying Bayesian deep learning and fine-grained simulations for the U.S., we show that stronger homophily leads to more infections while a stronger hub effect results in fewer cases. Our simulation estimates that these effects have a combined net negative impact on the outcome, increasing the total cases by approximately 10% in the U.S. Inspired by these results, we propose a vaccination campaign strategy that targets a small number of regions to further improve the vaccination rate, which can reduce the number of cases by 20% by only vaccinating an additional 1% of the population according to our simulations. Our results suggest that we must examine the interplay between vaccination patterns and mobility networks beyond the overall vaccination rate, and that the government may need to shift policy focus from overall vaccination rates to geographical vaccination heterogeneity.

scholarly journals Mobility network reveals the impact of spatial vaccination heterogeneity on COVID‐19

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan Yuan ◽  
Eaman Jahani ◽  
Shengjia Zhao ◽  
Yong-Yeol Ahn ◽  
Alex Pentland
Keyword(s):  
Computational Models ◽  
Network Effects ◽  
Vaccination Campaign ◽  
Vaccination Rate ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Mobility Data ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Massive vaccination is one of the most effective epidemic control measures. Because one’s vaccination decision is shaped by social processes (e.g., socioeconomic sorting and social contagion), the pattern of vaccine uptake tends to show strong social and spatial heterogeneity, such as urban-rural divide and clustering. Examining through network perspectives, here we quantify the impact of spatial vaccination heterogeneity on COVID outbreaks and offer policy recommendations on location-based vaccination campaigns. Leveraging fine-grained mobility data and computational models, we investigate two network effects—the “hub effect” (hubs in the mobility network usually have higher vaccination rates) and the “homophily effect” (neighboring places tend to have similar vaccination rates). Applying Bayesian deep learning and fine-grained epidemic simulations, we show a negative effect of homophily and a positive effect of highly vaccinated hubs on reducing COVID-19 case counts; these two effects are estimated to jointly increase the total cases by approximately 10% in the U.S. Moreover, inspired by these results, we propose a vaccination campaign strategy that targets a small number of regions with the largest gain in protective power. Our simulation shows that we can reduce the number of cases by 20% by only vaccinating an additional 1% of the population. Our study suggests that we must examine the interplay between vaccination patterns and mobility networks beyond the overall vaccination rate, and that accurate location-based targeting can be equally if not more important than improving the overall vaccination rate.

scholarly journals The COVID States Project #62: COVID-19 vaccine attitudes among healthcare workers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Lazer ◽  
Hong Qu ◽  
Katherine Ognyanova ◽  
Matthew Baum ◽  
Roy H. Perlis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Vaccination Campaign ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Vaccination Rate ◽  
Department Of Veterans Affairs ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
Healthcare Settings ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Hospital Systems ◽  
Mandatory Vaccination

The vaccination status of healthcare workers is of particular importance, for two key reasons:First, healthcare workers have been a harbinger of trends among the broader population through the entire vaccination campaign, as they were among the first to gain access to vaccines. The early inequalities in terms of access among healthcare workers were predictive of inequalities within the broader population. The divides in terms of vaccine skepticism presaged those of the broader population; and, as we will see below, the plateauing of vaccination rates anticipated the slowdown in vaccinations within the broader population.Second, the vaccine decisions of healthcare workers have particular ramifications with respect to the spread of COVID-19, and, especially, with respect to morbidity and mortality resulting from COVID-19. In particular, unvaccinated healthcare workers are potentially a vector of infection of the elderly and the vulnerable, who have been vastly more likely to die of the disease.A recent outbreak in a nursing home in Kentucky is illustrative. Despite the fact that over 90% of the residents had been fully vaccinated, only 53% of the healthcare workers had been. In a subsequent outbreak, 31% of residents were infected (more than two third of whom had been vaccinated); and 33% of healthcare workers (20% of whom had been vaccinated). Two residents died as a result. In short, the low vaccination rate of the healthcare workers supplied the kindling for the outbreak. The question going forward is to what extent might this occur in other healthcare settings around the country.Healthcare institutions thus face critical decisions regarding the vaccination of their employees. In late July, the Department of Veterans Affairs issued a vaccine mandate for all its frontline health care workers. A joint statement by nearly 60 major medical organizations called for mandatory vaccination of healthcare workers. Brown University's School of Public Health built a Hospital Vaccine Mandate Tracker to gather and list hospital systems that require their staff to be vaccinated. Many more institutions have announced that they will issue mandates once vaccines are formally approved by the U.S. FDA.

scholarly journals Socioeconomic gradient in COVID-19 vaccination: evidence from Israel

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mor Saban ◽  
Vicki Myers ◽  
Shani Ben-Shetrit ◽  
Rachel Wilf-Miron
Keyword(s):  
Low Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Vaccine Dose ◽  
Vaccination Rate ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
Arab Population ◽  
Low Socioeconomic ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
Disadvantaged Communities ◽  
Socioeconomic Gradient ◽  
Neighborhood Ses

Abstract Background Low socioeconomic status (SES) groups have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to examine COVID-19 vaccination rate by neighborhood SES and ethnicity in Israel, a country which has achieved high vaccination rates. Methods Data on vaccinations were obtained from the Israeli Ministry of Health’s open COVID-19 database, for December 20, 2020 to August 31, 2021. Correlation between vaccination rate and neighborhood SES was analyzed. Difference in vaccination rate between the first and second vaccine dose was analyzed by neighborhood SES and ethnicity. Findings A clear socioeconomic gradient was demonstrated, with higher vaccination rates in the higher SES categories (first dose: r = 0.66; second dose: r = 0.74; third dose: r = 0.92). Vaccination uptake was lower in the lower SES groups and in the Arab population, with the largest difference in uptake between Jewish and Arab localities for people younger than 60, and with the gap widening between first and third doses. Conclusions Low SES groups and the Arab ethnic minority demonstrated disparities in vaccine uptake, which were greater for the second and third, compared with the first vaccine dose. Strategies to address vaccination inequity will need to identify barriers, provide targeted information, and include trust-building in disadvantaged communities.

Homelessness Among U.S. Veterans

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Veterans Affairs ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Female Veterans ◽  
Department Of Veterans Affairs ◽  
Public Concern ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Collective Work ◽  
Homeless Veterans ◽  
The Many

Homelessness among Veterans has been of major public concern for over three decades. Tens of billions of federal dollars have been spent to prevent and end veteran homelessness. Substantial knowledge and progress has been gained from the many service providers, researchers, administrators, and policy makers around the country who have and continue to battle Veteran homelessness. This accumulated wealth of knowledge, lessons learned, and developed solutions need to be widely disseminated and shared to benefit the field. This book provides an overview on a range of multidisciplinary topic areas related to Veteran homelessness and highlights recent research and services that have been developed for this population. Areas that are covered include epidemiology; mental illness and substance abuse; primary care; housing models; criminal justice; money mismanagement; special subpopulations such as female veterans, Iraq/Afghanistan veterans, and aging veterans; and technology-based solutions. Together, this book underscores the collective work and progress made by those who serve the Department of Veterans Affairs and other organizations dedicated to homeless veterans around the country.

scholarly journals COVID-19 and Historic Influenza Vaccinations in the United States: A Comparative Analysis

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 1284
Author(s):  
Pranav Mirpuri ◽  
Richard A. Rovin
Keyword(s):  
Influenza Vaccination ◽  
The United States ◽  
Vaccination Rate ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
County Level ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
Global Challenge ◽  
Us Counties

The COVID-19 vaccination effort is a monumental global challenge. Recognizing and addressing the causes of vaccine hesitancy will improve vaccine uptake. The primary objective of this study was to compare the COVID-19 vaccination rates in US counties to historical vaccination rates for influenza in persons aged 65 and older. The secondary objective was to identify county-level demographic, socioeconomic, and political factors that influence vaccination rates. County level data were obtained from publicly available databases for comparison and to create predictive models. Overall, in US counties the COVID-19 vaccination rate exceeded influenza vaccination rates amongst those aged 65 or older (69.4.0% vs. 44%, p < 0.0001). 2690 (83.4%) of 3224 counties had vaccinated 50% or more of their 65 and older residents in the first seven months of the COVID-19 vaccination roll out. There were 467 (14.5%) of 3223 counties in which the influenza vaccination rate exceeded the COVID-19 vaccination rate. Most of these counties were in the Southern region, were considered politically “red” and had a significantly higher non-Hispanic Black resident population (14.4% vs. 8.2%, p < 0.0001). Interventions intended to improve uptake should account for nuances in vaccine access, confidence, and consider factual social media messaging, especially in vulnerable counties.

scholarly journals COVID-19 vaccination rates among health care workers by immigrant background. A nation-wide registry study from Norway

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristian Bandlien Kraft ◽  
Ingeborg Elgersma ◽  
Trude Marie Lyngstad ◽  
Petter Elstrøm ◽  
Kjetil Telle
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Vaccination Rate ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Country Of Birth ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
Immigrant Background ◽  
Care Workers

AbstractBackgroundStudies have suggested that some minority groups tend to have lower vaccination rates than the overall population. This study aims to examine COVID-19 vaccination rates among health care workers (HCWs) in Norway, according to immigrant background.MethodsWe used individual-level, nation-wide registry data from Norway to identify all HCWs employed full-time at 1 December 2020. We examined the relationship between country of birth and COVID-19 vaccination from December 2020 to August 2021, both crude and adjusted for e.g. age, sex, municipality of residence, and detailed occupation codes in logistic regression models.ResultsAmong all HCWs in Norway, immigrants had a 9 percentage point lower vaccination rate (85%) than HCWs without an immigrant background (94%) at 31 August 2021. The overall vaccination rate varied by country of birth, with immigrants born in Russia (71%), Serbia (72%), Lithuania (72%), Romania (75%), Poland (76%), Eritrea (77%), and Somalia (78%) having the lowest crude vaccination rates. When we adjusted for demographics and detailed occupational codes, immigrant groups that more often worked as health care assistants, such as immigrants from Eritrea and Somalia, increased their vaccination rates.ConclusionSubstantial differences in vaccination rates among immigrant groups employed in the health care sector in Norway indicate that measures to improve vaccine uptake should focus specific immigrant groups rather than all immigrants together. Lower vaccination rates in some immigrant groups appears to be largely driven by the occupational composition, suggesting that some of the differences in vaccine rates can be attributed to variation in vaccine access.

Factors affecting influenza vaccine uptake among health care workers in the Medical and Health Sciences Center of Debrecen University, Hungary

2012 ◽  
Vol 153 (13) ◽  
pp. 505-513 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piroska Orosi ◽  
Ágnes Borbély ◽  
Judit Szidor ◽  
János Sándor
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Influenza Vaccination ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Vaccination Rate ◽  
Internal Communication ◽  
Health Science ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
Science Center ◽  
Family Doctors ◽  
Care Workers

Influenza vaccination is the most effective way of influenza prevention. The vaccination rate is low worldwide. In Hungary, the vaccine is free of charge to health care workers and, therefore, the low vaccination rate is unaccountable. Aims: In this study, the authors wanted to explore those factors which influence the refusal of vaccination. Methods: The Health Science Center of Debrecen University has about 4000 employees. The authors adjusted a questionnaire with 45 questions and sent it to 525 randomly selected health care workers, 294 of whom responded (response rate, 56%). The Epiinfo software was used for statistical evaluation. Results: The respondents strongly agreed that the vaccine is free and easy to obtain at the workplace. Official recommendations of the occupational health, the Medical Association of Hungary and advice of the family doctors failed to influence the decision. However, a significant impact of communication with family members, friends and colleagues on the decision was documented. Conclusions: The results indicate that the most important tool in decision making of influenza vaccination is the internal communication, but this effect is not a permanent one. International data show highly variable vaccination rates (between 2.1% and 82%). A better vaccination rate (98% or above) may be achieved with a mandatory influenza vaccination program among health care workers. Orv. Hetil., 2012, 153, 505–513.

Correlates of Improved Influenza Vaccination of Healthcare Personnel: A Survey of Hospitals in Louisiana

2013 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 723-729 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kayla L. Fricke ◽  
Mariella M. Gastañaduy ◽  
Renee Klos ◽  
Rodolfo E. Bégué
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Influenza Vaccination ◽  
Vaccination Campaign ◽  
Vaccination Rate ◽  
Healthcare Personnel ◽  
Patient Contact ◽  
Hospital Type ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
Item Questionnaire

Objective.To describe practices for influenza vaccination of healthcare personnel (HCP) with emphasis on correlates of increased vaccination rates.Design.Survey.Participants.Volunteer sample of hospitals in Louisiana.Methods.All hospitals in Louisiana were invited to participate. A 17-item questionnaire inquired about the hospital type, patients served, characteristics of the vaccination campaign, and the resulting vaccination rate.Results.Of 254 hospitals, 153 (60%) participated and were included in the 124 responses that were received. Most programs (64%) required that HCP either receive the vaccine or sign a declination form, and the rest were exclusively voluntary (36%); no program made vaccination a condition of employment. The median vaccination rate was 67%, and the vaccination rate was higher among hospitals that were accredited by the Joint Commission; provided acute care; served children, pregnant women, oncology patients, or intensive care unit patients; required a signed declination form; or imposed consequences for unvaccinated HCP (the most common of which was to require that a mask be worn on patient contact). Hospitals that provided free vaccine, made vaccine widely available, advertised the program extensively, required a declination form, and imposed consequences had the highest vaccination rates (median, 86%; range, 81%–91%).Conclusions.The rate of influenza vaccination of HCP remains low among the hospitals surveyed. Recommended practices may not be enough to reach 90% vaccination rates unless a signed declination requirement and consequences are implemented. Wearing a mask is a strong consequence. Demanding influenza vaccination as a condition of employment was not reported as a practice by the participating hospitals.

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