Egyptian hemodialysis patients' willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine booster dose: a multicenter survey

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. Graphical abstract

Risk factors and prognosis for coronavirus disease 2019 among 131 hemodialysis patients during the Omicron variant epidemic

“…Egyptian researchers surveyed reasons for denying boosters for COVID-19 in hemodialysis patients. They found that more than one-half of the patients did not want to receive boosters, and booster hesitancy was associated with female sex, younger age, single marital status, Alexandria and urban residency, and the use of a tunneled dialysis catheter [ 22 ].…”

Risk factors for mortality and antibody responses in chronic hemodialysis patients with coronavirus disease 2019: a single-center experience in China

“…These ndings support the use of COVID-19 vaccinations to improve SARS-CoV-2 outcomes of patients undergoing chronic dialysis (14). SARS-CoV-2 booster dose hesitancy among MHD patients is a major concern and emphasizes the need to develop effective strategies to increase vaccine compliance (12).…”

“…In addition, our study showed a mortality rate of 12.1% among unvaccinated patients. Hemodialysis patients have a high rate of hesitancy regarding COVID-19 primary vaccination (12). A previous study revealed lower mortality rates in fully and partially vaccinated individuals (5.3% and 8.3%, respectively) (13).…”