Willingness to Receive the Booster COVID-19 Vaccine Dose in Poland

Abstract

COVID-19 vaccinations are essential to mitigate the pandemic and prevent severe SARS-CoV-2 infections. However, the serum antibody levels in vaccinated individuals gradually decrease over time, while SARS-CoV-2 is undergoing an evolution toward more transmissible variants, such as B.1.617.2, ultimately increasing the risk of breakthrough infections and further virus spread. This cross-sectional online study of adult Poles (n = 2427) was conducted in September 2021 (before a general recommendation to administer a booster COVID-19 vaccine dose in Poland was issued) to assess the attitude of individuals who completed the current vaccination regime toward a potential booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and identify potential factors that may influence it. Overall, 71% of participants declared willingness to receive a booster COVID-19 dose, with a low median level of fear of receiving it of 1.0 (measured by the 10-point Likert-type scale), which was increased particularly in those having a worse experience (in terms of severity of side effects and associated fear) with past COVID-19 vaccination. The lowest frequency of willingness to receive a booster dose (26.7%) was seen in the group previously vaccinated with Ad26.COV2.S. The majority of individuals vaccinated previously with mRNA vaccines wished to receive the same vaccine, while in the case of AZD1222, such accordance was observed only in 9.1%. The main reasons against accepting a booster COVID-19 dose included the side effects experienced after previous doses, the opinion that further vaccination is unnecessary, and safety uncertainties. Women, older individuals (≥50 years), subjects with obesity, chronic diseases, and pre-vaccination and post-vaccination SARS-CoV-2 infections, and those with a history of vaccination against influenza were significantly more frequently willing to receive a booster COVID-19 dose. Moreover, the majority of immunosuppressed individuals (88%) were willing to receive an additional dose. The results emphasize some hesitancy toward potential further COVID-19 vaccination in the studied group of Poles and indicate the main groups to be targeted with effective science communication regarding the booster doses.

COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Hesitancy (VBH) of Healthcare Workers in Czechia: National Cross-Sectional Study

“…This study revealed that a high proportion (71.3%) of the Czech HCW favour the COVID-19 vaccine BD, while 12.2% are still hesitant and 16.6% are against the currently available BD. These results are consistent with what had been recently reported by Rzymski et al 2021, who found that 71% of the Polish adult population declared their willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine BD, while the rest were not in favour of BDs [23]. In Japan, Sugawara et al 2021 revealed that 89.1% of Japanese medical students were willing to receive the hypothetical BDs of COVID-19 vaccines [85].…”

“…Vaccine hesitancy (VH) is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) as "delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccination despite the availability of vaccination services" [22]. COVID-19 vaccine BD hesitancy (VBH) can be predicted in populations with suboptimal vaccine uptake, such as in Poland, where only 51% of the population received a first dose until the middle of September 2021, despite the extensive scientific communication efforts and the worsening epidemic situation in the country in 2021 [23].…”

“…An average vaccinee may accept or reject a BD due to various triggers, including; the side effects experienced after the previous (primer) doses, perceived effectiveness of the BD, the vaccinee's susceptibility to the target infection, and safety uncertainties [23,27]. The WHO-SAGE depicted the perceived effectiveness, safety, and susceptibility and the cost-benefit ratio evaluation as critical determinants for VH, especially for the childhood vaccines which are conventionally recommended worldwide [28][29][30][31].…”

Intention to Receive the COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Dose in a University Community in Italy

“…A notable finding was that the hesitancy towards the booster dose was low among the responders since 24.7% of the sample were classified as hesitant with a total VHS score ≥25. Other surveys have found varying proportions of participants willing to receive the booster dose with values of 55.3% among HCWs in Saudi Arabia [13], 61.8% in adult Americans [14], 71% among adults in Poland [10], 71.3% among HCWs in Czechia [15], 83.6% a hypothetical yearly booster vaccine among healthcare workers in the United States [12], 84.5% among medical students in Japan [11], and 91.1% in the general population in China [16]. In the present study interviewees highlighted that the most common reasons in vaccine-related decision-making were because they would protect themselves and their relatives.…”

“…Hesitancy and willingness in relation to the COVID-19 vaccination have been investigated in different groups worldwide with a number of individuals who would either be unwilling to receive it or refuse it altogether despite the severity of the disease [8,9]. However, little is known yet about the intention to receive the booster dose [10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. In this current scenario, this is a challenging issue.…”