Bivalent second booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine: Eligible populations’ reasons for receiving in Italy

Abstract

The Italian Ministry of Health recommended the administration of the bivalent second booster dose of the new available mRNA COVID-19 vaccine for subjects aged 60 y and over, aged 12 y and over with high frailty motivated by concomitant/preexisting conditions, and health-care workers. The purposes of this cross-sectional survey were to investigate the reasons for receiving the bivalent second booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and associated influencing factors among the eligible population attending two immunization centers randomly selected in the city of Naples, Italy. A total of 535 subjects participated. Only 17.5% revealed high concern about the possibility of acquiring the COVID-19 disease. Those younger, those who had at least one chronic medical condition, and those who had a higher perceived seriousness of the COVID-19 disease were more likely to be very concerned. Having a higher belief of the vaccine’s safety and usefulness were significant positive predictors of the respondents’ belief of the efficacy of the bivalent second booster dose. The two most common reasons reported for receiving the bivalent second booster dose included the protection for themselves and for their cohabitants. Those younger and those who had a higher perception of the vaccine’s usefulness in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection were more likely to receive the bivalent second booster dose for the protection of their cohabitants. Health-care organizations and health-care professionals can use these findings in their efforts to design educational and communication interventions to accelerate the uptake of this vaccine for reducing the frequency of this disease.

The Effectiveness of Bivalent COVID-19 Vaccination: A Preliminary Report

“…Our systematic review shows no safety concerns in BV booster recipients and is consistent with the observational cohort study in children and adolescents [50,51]. Furthermore, multiple reasons for not receiving a BV have been identified, including a lack of awareness of eligibility for vaccination, vaccine availability, and perceived immunity against infection [52,53]. Our study demonstrates the equal immunogenicity of the BV to the MV without safety concerns.…”

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Coverage of Recommended Vaccinations in Individuals with Chronic Medical Conditions: A Cross-Sectional Telephone Survey in Italy

“…The survey showed that the participants had received vaccination-related information from HCWs, also in combination with a variety of other sources, as the most used source. This result corresponds to findings obtained in other similar surveys conducted in this and in other geographic areas [ 28 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 ]. Moreover, the results of the multinomial and multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that HCWs were the most important communication source in disseminating accurate information about vaccinations aimed at mitigating the risk and other public health threats.…”

Analysis of the COVID-19 vaccine willingness and hesitancy among parents of healthy children aged 6 months–4 years: a cross-sectional survey in Italy

“…Data for this cross-sectional survey were part of a broader project seeking to evaluate perceptions and behaviors toward COVID-19 vaccination in different groups in southern Italy ( 12 – 19 ). Data collection took place from January to March 2023 in seven public kindergartens and eight public nursery schools randomly selected in the geographic area of Naples, the southern part of Italy.…”