1. Egyptian hemodialysis patients' willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine booster dose: a multicenter survey.
- Author
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Abdulaziz HMM, Saleh MA, Elrggal ME, Omar ME, Hawash SA, Attiya AMN, Salem KM, and Sabry AA
- Subjects
- Renal Dialysis adverse effects, Egypt, Immunization, Secondary, Female, Humans, COVID-19 epidemiology, COVID-19 prevention & control, COVID-19 Vaccines
- Abstract
Background: Health authorities have struggled to increase vaccination uptake since the COVID-19 vaccines became available. However, there have been increasing concerns about declining immunity after the initial COVID-19 vaccination with the emergence of new variants. Booster doses were implemented as a complementary policy to increase protection against COVID-19. Egyptian hemodialysis (HD) patients have shown a high rate of hesitancy to COVID-19 primary vaccination, yet their willingness to receive booster doses is unknown. This study aimed to assess COVID-19 vaccine booster hesitancy and its associated factors in Egyptian HD patients., Methods: A face-to-face interview was conducted with closed-ended questionnaires distributed to healthcare workers in seven Egyptian HD centers, mainly located in three Egyptian governorates, between the 7th of March and the 7th of April 2022., Results: Among 691 chronic HD patients, 49.3% (n = 341) were willing to take the booster dose. The main reason for booster hesitancy was the opinion that a booster dose is unnecessary (n = 83, 44.9%). Booster vaccine hesitancy was associated with female gender, younger age, being single, Alexandria and urban residency, the use of a tunneled dialysis catheter, not being fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Odds of booster hesitancy were higher among participants who did not receive full COVID-19 vaccination and among those who were not planning to take the influenza vaccine (10.8 and 4.2, respectively)., Conclusion: COVID-19 booster-dose hesitancy among HD patients in Egypt represents a major concern, is associated with vaccine hesitancy with respect to other vaccines and emphasizes the need to develop effective strategies to increase vaccine uptake., (© 2023. The Author(s).)
- Published
- 2023
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