Understanding the Attitudes and Willingness of Adult Chinese Patients with Rheumatic Diseases Towards COVID-19 Vaccination

Huiqiong Zeng,1,&ast; Hanjiang Liu,2,&ast; Meifen Liu,1 Zhen Zhou,3 Shi-Bin Wang,4 Kaixia Zhou,5 Wengen Li,6 Liping Dai,1 Yashuo Chen,1 John Patrick Uy,7 Chenyu Sun,8 Zhizhong Ye1 1Department of Rheumatology, Shenzhen Futian Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Safety Supervision Division, Guangdong Pharmaceutical Association, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia; 4Department of Mental Health, Guangdong Mental Health Center, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shanghai Cancer Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 6Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Meizhou People’s Hospital (Huangtang Hospital), Meizhou, People’s Republic of China; 7Department of Infectious Disease and International Health, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA; 8Department of AMITA Health Saint Joseph Hospital Chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Zhizhong Ye, Department of Rheumatology, Shenzhen Futian Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China, Tel +852-13902477524, Email yezhizhong0506@163.com Chenyu Sun, AMITA Health Saint Joseph Hospital Chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2900 N. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Illinois, 60657, USA, Email drsunchenyu@yeah.netBackground: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has imposed substantial health and economic burdens on the societies. COVID-19 vaccination is the most effective method of controlling the epidemic. This study assessed the attitude, willingness, and related factors of adult patients with rheumatic diseases (RDs) in China towards COVID-19 vaccination and identified their reasons for being vaccinated.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered to patients with rheumatic diseases from July 18 to August 18, 2021, using an online questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the data.Results: We analyzed data drawn from 464 participants who provided valid responses. A total of 324 (69.83%) RD patients were not willing to be vaccinated, of which 76.97% believed that COVID-19 vaccination might exacerbate the diseases symptoms. Logistic regression analysis showed that a combination of experiencing systemic damage, being in the acute attack stage of the disease, and fear of the adverse impact of vaccination on rheumatism, etc., were the predominant factors affecting the intentional vaccination rate in adult patients with rheumatic diseases (p < 0.05).Conclusion: The COVID-19 intentional vaccination rate was relatively low in adult Chinese patients with RD. Public health education and the dissemination of government scientific data for patients with RD should be enhanced to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates.Keywords: China, rheumatic disease, COVID-19, vaccination, attitude, willingness