Multi-Level Monitoring of Vaccination Adherence of Various Population Groups in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Problematic Issues

Abstract

Relevance. Despite significant progress in the prevention of many infectious diseases, a number of organizational issues remain in the area of special attention. One of them is to ensure the timeliness and completeness of vaccination coverage in the decreed age groups, which is possible only with a high level of public commitment to vaccination. During the pandemic of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19), achieving a high level of vaccination coverage of the National Calendar of Preventive vaccinations is of particular relevance. Aim. Using state-of-the-art online resources, assess population vaccination adherence to develop effective communication risk management technologies for immunoprophylaxis in the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods. To assess the commitment of various population groups and professional contingents of a large industrial city to vaccine prevention, a survey of 965 parents was conducted at the initial stage, and subsequently a survey of 2,632 employees of medical organizations, including 1,422 people in the period before the COVID - 19 pandemic, 572 people in the «first wave» of the pandemic and 638 people in the «second wave». Instagram Facebook, Instagram, and VKontakte social networks were used to quickly obtain the necessary information (Google forms, corporate e-mails, WhatsApp, Telegram messengers, etc.). The work uses epidemiological, sociological and statistical methods of research. Results and discussion. When assessing the attitude of parents to vaccination, it was found that 78.8% of respondents were positive about vaccinations, 14.6% doubted their effectiveness and safety, and 6.6% denied their need. The main source of information that forms the attitude to vaccinations of parents was the opinion of medical professionals. In a survey of 1,422 employees, 190 people (13.3%) were identified, mainly from among the trained specialists, who themselves had a negative attitude to vaccination. When assessing the commitment of employees of medical organizations to the vaccination of a new coronavirus infection, the attitude to vaccination was ambiguous, especially in the group of secondary medical personnel and female employees of non-medical specialties, who are a potential risk group for forming a negative attitude to vaccinations and can act as «opinion leaders» on this issue for other categories of the population. Insufficient adherence to COVID-19 vaccine prevention has also been observed in other countries among various population groups, which is a serious problem on a global scale, hindering the fight against the pandemic of a new disease, which requires corrective measures. Conclusion. In this study, using modern online resources, a rapid assessment of the vaccination adherence of various population groups (parents and medical professionals) was carried out. It is shown that the use of modern technologies and software tools makes it possible to analyze a large array of data to solve problems of overcoming communication risks. The results obtained point to the need for prompt corrective measures in terms of the introduction of educational programs to increase adherence to vaccination, especially in groups at potential risk of the disease, including medical professionals, which is a priority for health care in all countries.