Heightened Willingness toward Pneumococcal Vaccination in the Elderly Population in Shenzhen, China: A Cross-Sectional Study during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background: Elderly population is considered at high risk for pneumococcal diseases. The pneumococcal vaccine coverage presents extremely low among elderly people in China. However, the serious event of COVID-19 drives interest in the pneumococcal vaccine, prompting us investigating the willingness to accept the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) and influencing factors among people aged over 60 years during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional study was employed using a self-administered questionnaire in Shenzhen City of China, elaborating the willingness toward PPSV23 in the elderly persons. Binomial logistic analyses were performed to estimate the influencing factors using odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: Among 15,066 respondents, 91.5% presented a positive attitude toward PPSV23. Logistic analyses suggested the influencing factors included knowledge about pneumonia (adjusted OR [aOR] 1.391, 95%CI 1.214–1.593), perception of the seriousness of pneumonia (aOR 1.437, 95%CI 1.230–1.680) and preventing way for pneumonia (aOR 1.639, 95%CI 1.440–1.865), worried about getting pneumonia (aOR 2.751, 95%CI 2.444–3.096), understanding vaccine policy (aOR 1.774, 95%CI 1.514–2.079), and influenza vaccine (aOR 3.516 and 95%CI 2.261–5.468) and PPSV23 histories (aOR 3.199, 95%CI 1.492–6.860). Conclusions: The interest surge in pneumococcal vaccine coincided with the COVID-19 outbreak, foreshadowing higher demand for pneumococcal vaccine in the near future.

Influenza Vaccination Coverage among Older Adults with Hypertension in Shenzhen, China: A Cross-Sectional Survey during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…As already described in our work, living with others might lead to frequent social contact, giving these older individuals more possibilities to obtain vaccine or health-related information [ 7 , 20 ]. In this survey, participants living with a partner had more likelihood to get vaccinated than those living with children.…”

“…The questionnaires were distributed through the most extensive online survey platform in China, Wen Juan Xing (Changsha Ranxing Information Technology Co., Ltd., Changsha, China). Detailed methods and part of the results of the cross-sectional survey have been published previously [ 20 ].…”

“…The variables of the health-related behaviors comprised use of a family doctor, frequency of physical examinations, smoking, drinking, and exercise. The information of monthly household income was presented in Chinese yuan (CNY) and US dollars (USD) with an average exchange rate of CNY 6.9 per USD in 2020, as already described [ 20 ]. The binary variables of the influenza vaccination were used as the dependent variable.…”

Public Interest in Distribution and Determinants of Influenza and Pneumonia Vaccination during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Infodemiology and Cross-Sectional Study from China

“…Several studies have investigated the public's intention to vaccinate against seasonal influenza and pneumonia during the COVID-19 pandemic [20][21][22][23]. Some of these studies have shown that the COVID-19 pandemic might positively impact the public's demand for seasonal influenza and pneumonia vaccinations [20][21][22].…”

“…Several studies have investigated the public's intention to vaccinate against seasonal influenza and pneumonia during the COVID-19 pandemic [20][21][22][23]. Some of these studies have shown that the COVID-19 pandemic might positively impact the public's demand for seasonal influenza and pneumonia vaccinations [20][21][22]. Possible reasons for this are that influenza, pneumonia, and COVID-19 can present with similar symptoms [24,25], and beyond that, they share the same risk groups, proving detrimental to older persons and persons with chronic diseases [26,27].…”