Willingness to be Vaccinated Against SARS-CoV-2 in the German Population During the Second Wave of the Pandemic

Socioeconomic Differences in SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Vaccination in Germany: A Seroepidemiological Study After One Year of COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign

Objective: To evaluate the socioeconomic patterns of SARS-CoV-2 antigen contacts through infection, vaccination or both ("hybrid immunity") after 1 year of vaccination campaign. Methods: Data were derived from the German seroepidemiological Corona Monitoring Nationwide study (RKI-SOEP-2; n = 10,448; November 2021-February 2022). Combining serological and self-report data, we estimated adjusted prevalence ratios (PR) of SARS-CoV-2 infection, COVID-19 vaccination, basic immunization (at least two SARS-CoV-2 antigen contacts through vaccination and/or infection), and three antigen contacts by education and income. Results: Low-education groups had 1.35-times (95% CI 1.01-1.82) the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to high-education groups. COVID-19 vaccination (at least one dose) and basic immunization decreased with lower education and income. Low-education and low-income groups were less likely to have had at least three antigen contacts (PR low vs. high education: 0.74, 95% CI 0.65-0.84; PR low vs. high income: 0.66, 95% CI 0.57-0.77). Conclusion: The results suggest a lower level of protection against severe COVID-19 for individuals from low and medium socioeconomic groups. Pandemic response and vaccination campaigns should address the specific needs and barriers of these groups.

Determinants of university students' COVID-19 vaccination intentions and behavior

Vaccination hesitancy has been a major challenge for health authorities and societies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The general determinants of vaccination intentions and behavior include sociodemographic and health-related, psychological, and communication-related factors, with varying relevance for different types of vaccinations, countries, and target groups. The predictors of university students' COVID-19 vaccination behavior have not been sufficiently studied. Using a German university as an example and based on an online survey of 1398 university students, we investigated factors related to (a) the likelihood of vaccination against COVID-19 and (b) vaccination intention among those who had not been vaccinated by summer of 2021. Psychological factors showed high relevance. Field of study, trust in, and use of certain media and information channels were found to be important determinants of students' vaccination decision. Our findings can help better understand university students' vaccination behavior to develop and implement tailored strategies and campaigns.

[Willingness to get vaccinated among hospital staff in Germany: What is the role of COVID-19 conspiracy assumptions?]

Hintergrund

Zur Erreichung einer flächendeckenden Immunität gegen COVID-19 in der Bevölkerung ist entscheidend, wie sich die Impfbereitschaft bislang Ungeimpfter entwickelt. Schlüsselrolle dabei spielt das medizinische Personal, welches die Gesundheitsversorgung während der Pandemie gewährleistet und vielen Menschen als Informationsquelle zu Impfungen dient. Die allgemeine Impfbereitschaft wird u. a. negativ beeinflusst durch Verschwörungsannahmen und die Verbreitung von Desinformationen.

Ziele

Es wurden Impfbereitschaft und verschiedene Einflussgrößen bei Klinikpersonal in Deutschland untersucht, um Hinweise auf eine mögliche Steigerung der Impfbereitschaft zu erlangen.

Methoden

Im Rahmen des vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung geförderten egePan-Verbundprojekts des nationalen Netzwerkes Universitätsmedizin wurden zwischen Januar und Juni 2021 in einer freiwilligen, anonymen Onlinebefragung die Impfbereitschaft, individuelle Sozialmerkmale, Zustimmung zu Verschwörungsannahmen und Fragen zur Kommunikation in deutschen Kliniken erhoben.

Ergebnisse

Insbesondere Ärzt*innen und wissenschaftliches Personal gaben eine erhöhte Impfbereitschaft im Vergleich zur Gesamtbevölkerung an. Verschwörungsannahmen waren kaum verbreitet, am häufigsten jedoch unter dem Verwaltungs- und Pflegepersonal. Verschwörungsannahmen waren negativ assoziiert mit der Impfbereitschaft. Prädiktoren für eine höhere Impfbereitschaft waren die empfundene Sicherheit und Effektivität von Impfungen sowie ein höheres Alter.

Diskussion

Da sich empfundene Sicherheit und Effektivität von Impfungen positiv auf die Impfbereitschaft auswirkten, könnten eine dahingehende Aufklärungsarbeit und transparente Informationsvermittlung der Verbreitung von Verschwörungsannahmen entgegenwirken und die Impfraten unter Krankenhauspersonal erhöhen.

COVID-19 Vaccine for Children: Vaccination Willingness of Parents and Its Associated Factors—A Network Analysis

Different COVID-19 vaccines have been approved for underage children, so parents and caregivers currently face the decision of whether to vaccinate their children against COVID-19 or not. Due to the rather moderate vaccine acceptance among parents across different countries, the objective of the present study was to investigate the relationship between different psychological, demographic, and behavioral factors related to the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine for underage children among parents. In particular, vaccination attitudes, whether parents have been vaccinated against COVID-19 themselves, COVID-19 fear, attitude towards COVID-19 policy measures, governmental trust, subjective level of information, perceived risk of disease progression, and perceived risk of vaccine side effects were the variables of interest. The study adopted a cross-sectional study design, and the sample consisted of 2405 participants. A network analysis was conducted to investigate the associations and interconnection among these variables. The results showed that, in particular, compliance, confidence in the safety of vaccines, whether parents have been vaccinated against COVID-19 themselves, trust in the governmental system, fear of COVID-19, and the parents’ age were directly related to the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine for children. To increase compliance and confidence in the vaccines’ safety among parents, promotion campaigns should provide more information concerning the vaccines’ safety, particularly for younger parents who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 themselves.