Public Confidence In Vaccines Research Articles

Post-vaccinal reactions following vaccination with the COVID-19 vaccine after first and second dose

Among the countries in the European Union, Bulgaria reports the lowest immunization coverage. Gathering reliable information on the level of post-vaccine adverse events and making it publicly available might increase public confidence in vaccines and immunization strategies. The aim of our study is to analyze and summarize post-vaccination reactions among 100 pre-hospital care patients after the administration of the first and second doses of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. The reported adverse reactions found by us with both mRNA and adenoviral vector vaccines were mild and self-limiting, similar to the results reported by many other authors in different parts of the world. We hope that attitudes regarding vaccinations will change in favor of vaccines, precisely through the analysis of the results of post-vaccination side effects, proof of their harmlessness. Regarding vaccinations will change in favor of vaccines, precisely through the analysis of the results of post-vaccination side effects, proof of their harmlessness.

Evaluating the Impact of Educational Videos on Vaccine Science Knowledge Among Virginia High School Students

ABSTRACT Background Despite the overwhelming benefits of vaccinations, suboptimal public confidence in vaccines keeps immunization rates in the U.S far from ideal levels. Purpose To assess the efficacy of a high school video set curriculum, on vaccine history, science, and safety, in improving vaccine knowledge. Methods Sample included high school students in Virginia, who had completed required biology coursework. After being assigned to either the control or experimental group, their knowledge on vaccines was assessed before and after viewing the curriculum videos. Results Experimental group students showed greater knowledge increases after viewing the videos. Examined by individual question, twelve out of eighteen questions in the experimental group had significant improvement in accuracy/knowledge, compared to one out of eighteen among the controls. Discussion Our study demonstrates the value of using videos to convey vaccine-related knowledge to high schoolers. This knowledge can favorably impact rates of acute infectious disease as well as chronic conditions such as polio, cervical cancer, and long COVID syndrome. Translation to Health Education Practice Such educational videos may be integrated into the state curricula so high school students can understand the impact, safety, and efficacy of vaccines and make informed public health decisions as adults.

Prevalence of Sputnik V COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects Among Healthcare Workers in a Tertiary Care, Academic Center in Tehran City, Iran

Background and Purpose: COVID-19 vaccine side effects predominantly affect public confidence in vaccination. Therefore, this study evaluated the rate and severity of adverse reactions associated with the COVID-19 Sputnik V vaccine among tertiary healthcare providers in an academic medical center. Materials and Methods: This retrospective observational study was carried out from March 2021 to August 2021 among Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex healthcare workers, a tertiary referral healthcare center affiliated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Participants provided demographic and clinical information through a validated questionnaire after being interviewed. The frequency, severity, and outcome of all reactions after vaccination were recorded. The study utilized SPSS software, version 24.0 to conduct descriptive statistics on baseline variables and inferential statistics to examine associations between vaccine side effects and gender, medical history, and COVID-19 history of the participants. Additionally, ordinal regression analysis was employed to identify factors predicting the severity of adverse effects after the first and second doses of the Sputnik V vaccine. Results: A total of 372 participants (54.3% female) with a mean age of 36.5±9.18 years were recruited. The rate of at least one side effect was 77.15% and 57.8% after the first and second doses, respectively. The most common side effects among participants were myalgia (48.4% after the first and 28.2% after the second dose), injection site pain (26.3% after the first and 12.6% after the second dose), and fever (19.6% after the first and 12.9% after the second dose). The higher rate of fever and myalgia after the first dose was observed among subjects with a history of COVID-19. Conclusion: Among healthcare workers, the side effects following the first and second doses of the Sputnik V vaccine were primarily mild, with no cases requiring hospitalization. Further research is required to assess potential side effects in larger and diverse populations with varying demographic and social characteristics.

Unveiling vaccine safety: a narrative review of pharmacovigilance in India's COVID-19 vaccination.

In India, a robust vaccine pharmacovigilance system is essential to the effective implementation of COVID-19 immunization programs, ensuring the safety and efficacy of the administered vaccines. The National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 and the Pharmacovigilance Programme of India have played vital roles in monitoring and analyzing adverse events following immunization (AEFI). These tools have made it easier to gather, assess, and report information about different adverse drug reactions connected to COVID-19 vaccines. However, there are several issues with India's vaccination pharmacovigilance, including underreporting and sluggish data gathering. To improve the efficiency of the pharmacovigilance system, it is crucial to address these issues and encourage active reporting by healthcare professionals and the general public. This insightful review article serves as a critical resource for shedding light on India's vaccine pharmacovigilance efforts throughout the COVID-19 vaccination drive. It also elucidates how these efforts are pivotal in bolstering public confidence in vaccines. The comprehensive coverage of reported AEFI not only showcases the commitment to vaccine safety but also helps healthcare professionals and policymakers make informed decisions to enhance the overall vaccination program.

Co-Designing a Mobile-Based Game to Improve Misinformation Resistance and Vaccine Knowledge in Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda

Misinformation can decrease public confidence in vaccines, and reduce vaccination intent and uptake. One strategy for countering these negative impacts comes from inoculation theory. Similar to biological vaccination, inoculation theory posits that exposure to a weakened form of misinformation can develop cognitive immunity, reducing the likelihood of being misled. Online games offer an interactive, technology-driven, and scalable solution using an active form of inoculation that engages and incentivizes players to build resilience against misinformation. We document the development of the critical thinking game Cranky Uncle Vaccine. The game applies research findings from inoculation theory, critical thinking, humor in science communication, and serious games. The game content was iterated through a series of co-design workshops in Kampala (Uganda), Kitale (Kenya), and Kigali (Rwanda). Workshop participants offered feedback on cartoon character design, gameplay experience, and the game’s content, helping to make the game more culturally relevant and avoid unintended consequences in East African countries. Our co-design methodology offers an approach for further adaptation of the Cranky Uncle Vaccine game to other regions, as well as a template for developing locally relevant interventions to counter future infodemics.

Role of digital media in vaccination promotion. Second report on VaccinarSinToscana.org experience

Abstract Background Since March 27, 2017, the Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, has been managing and editing an online portal of medical and scientific information, focused on preventive health care and vaccinations: “VaccinarSinToscana.org” (Get vaccinated in Tuscany). The aim of this study is to analyze website's consultation activity over the past four years by single users, visits and single webpage consultation. Methods VaccinarSinToscana website activity during the study period April 01, 2019-March 31, 2023 was investigated using Google Analytics. Microsoft Excel was used for data analysis. Results During the study period 365,070 new single users visited the portal and nearly 15% of them entered more than once for about 447,000 sessions. A total of 815,800 single web pages were visited individually, with an average of 2.23 web pages consulted per visit and an average session duration of 58 seconds. The largest increase in visits occurred in January 2021-June 2021 with the highest peak in March (155,737 single web pages). The most visited pages were about the national vaccination calendar, regional vaccine clinics, and the types of anti-COVID-19 vaccines available (particularly, the viral vector vaccines). Analysis of socio-demographic characteristics showed that the users most attracted to web consultation were female (57%) and the most ‘digital’ age group was 25-34 (24%). Other age groups account for 14% (18-24 years), 22% (35-44 years), 17% (45-54 years), 13% (55-64 years), and 11% (over 64 years). Mobile phones were the most used devices to access the portal (69%), personal computers for 28% and tablets for 3%. Conclusions The analysis of web pages consultation trend showed a relevant exponential increase of visits in the period January 2021-June 2021. The greatest interest of users, in this period marked by the early stages of the national SARS-CoV-2 vaccination campaign, was for searching news regarding anti-COVID-19 vaccination. Key messages • Institutional websites with evidence-based information could be useful tools for users to increase public confidence in vaccination. • The anti-COVID-19 vaccine campaign has increased website visit, demonstrating how this period has been characterized by curiosity, doubt, and citizens’ search for more information.

Parallel vaccine discourses in Guinea: ‘grounding’ social listening for a non-hegemonic global health

ABSTRACT Misinformation has been identified as a major threat to public confidence in vaccines, particularly during epidemics. As a response, social listening has become a popular and heuristic public health tool for detecting misinformation and adapting vaccine communication. In this article, we take a critical stance on the normalised approach to social listening which solely relies on the analysis of online discourses. We highlight that the current social listening paradigm inherited a reductionist and utilitarian approach from commercial marketing that struggles to grasp – and even misrepresents – the complexity of health-related perceptions and knowledge. This study draws from online COVID-19 vaccines discourses in Guinea and ethnographic fieldwork among Guinean healthcare workers. While the online social listening showcased a predominance of individual and collective safety concerns, distrust towards African elites and Western actors, fieldwork revealed that healthcare workers’ vaccine perceptions were more nuanced and largely shaped by complex kinship relations spanning across online and offline social landscapes. Furthermore, healthcare workers often displayed frontstage and backstage vaccine discourses, their vaccines related representations and claims could evolve depending on the context of enunciation. We advocate for grounding social listening in global health to avoid disconnection from the public. Failure to accomplish this could result in a detached and hegemonic form of ‘social hearing’, rather than authentic social listening. In light of this, the transdisciplinary methodology exemplified in this paper represents one possible solution.

Adverse Events and Vaccination: Extensive Local Reaction after Anatoxin Vaccine—A Case Report

Post-vaccine adverse reactions are unwanted medical events that concern both the public and healthcare professionals. The objective of this paper is to present a detailed analysis of the case of an extensive local adverse reaction after the administration of a vaccine dose containing diphtheria–tetanus anatoxins. A good knowledge of post-vaccine side effects allows for complete and correct diagnosis, as well as appropriate individualized recommendations. Such an approach contributes to restoring public confidence in vaccines and vaccinations. The patient was a 6-year-old boy, with a history of asthma under chronic treatment with corticosteroids. He developed extensive local inflammatory lesions accompanied by functional disorders of the left arm, which began six hours after the administration of the fifth dose of the diphtheria–tetanus–pertussis–poliomyelitis vaccine. The lesions, which extended to the forearm, were locally treated with antiseptics and systemically treated with hydrocortisone hemisuccinate. They completely remitted within 14 days. Laboratory investigations revealed neutrophilia (6,870 neutrophils/µL), which could be related to the long-term treatment with steroids. The investigation needed the plasma concentration of diphtheria and tetanus anatoxins antibodies and the pro-inflammatory cytokines to be complete.

Influence of social media on the fight against COVID-19 pandemic – literature review

Introduction and purpose of the study: COVID-19 is a respiratory illness resulting from infection with the second coronavirus of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, SARS-CoV-2. Lack of knowledge about the virus and fear of infection made it challenging for the media to communicate clearly and effectively about health risks. The purpose of our work was to discuss and summarize reports on this topic available in the literature in such a way as to increase the chances of effective and safe use of media messages in future emergencies.
 Current state of knowledge: During the pandemic, social networks were used to post information about potential health risks. Social media played a large role in the education process, both for schools and for volunteers or health care workers. However, it is important to keep in mind that the way information is spread on social media can be overwhelming for many health care workers. In addition, regular exposure to social media correlated with high odds of anxiety and depression. False reports about COVID - 19 vaccines undermined public confidence in vaccination especially during the period when the vaccines were introduced for distribution.
 Summary: Social media was one of the main sources of information after the pandemic outbreak. Thanks to platforms such as Twitter, it was possible to find relevant information from reliable authors. However, the phenomenon of infodemia should not be underestimated. Disinformation and conspiracy theories can have a negative impact on mental health. It is therefore crucial to understand the mechanisms and improve the systems that manage the flow of information.

Challenges of Accepting COVID-19 Vaccination Among Paramedical Students: A Qualitative Study

Background and aims: In recent years, public confidence in vaccines has been decreasing. This study was conducted aiming at explaining the challenges of accepting the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) vaccination by students. Methods: This study is a qualitative content analysis. The samples were students who did not intend to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The applied data collection method was a semi-structured interview. Sampling continued until reaching data saturation. To analyze the data, first, the interviews were recorded and typed word by word. Then, they were entered into the MaxQ-10 software. Results: Two main categories of individual barriers emerged from data analysis. The first category included false wrong peace of mind after vaccination, lack of belief in the effectiveness of the vaccine, fear of the vaccine and its side effects, infection with the coronavirus, a tendency to show the insignificance of the disease, and exacerbation of the symptoms of COVID-19 in the case of vaccination. The other individual barriers were the contraction of COVID-19 in the case of vaccination and beliefs in more effects of preventive methods as compared to vaccination. The second category contained collective barriers such as not having proper information regarding the media, considering the political nature of vaccination, waiting for access to vaccines made in Iran, and preventing the family from vaccination. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, to increase the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination, there is a need to remove internal and external barriers through various methods such as providing the community with accurate and timely information through the mass media and facilitating people’s access to various vaccines, especially Iran-made vaccine.

COVID-19 vaccine uptake and its determinants among teenagers and their parents in Zhejiang, China

Objective: To examine COVID-19 vaccine uptake and its determinants among teenagers and their parents in Zhejiang, China. Methods: An online cross-sectional study was conducted among parents of teenagers in Zhejiang, China from May 1 to 31, 2022. Data were interpreted via univariate and multivariate analyses using the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) program. Results: A total of 11115 (96.11%) participants and 11449 (99.00%) of their children in Zhejiang, China had been vaccinated against COVID-19. Children whose parents did not receive COVID-19 vaccination were 19 times (aOR 18.96, 95%CI 12.36-29.08) more likely to be unvaccinated than their counterparts. In addition, children with no previous influenza vaccination, those whose parents doubted the COVID-19 vaccine’s safety or effectiveness, were 6.11 times (aOR 6.11, 95%CI 2.80-13.34), 8.27 times (aOR 8.27, 95%CI 5.33-12.83), and 2.69 times (aOR 2.69, 95%CI 1.11-6.50) more likely to be unvaccinated than their counterparts, respectively. COVID-19 vaccine uptake varied between different sociodemographic groups. However, the odds of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine decreased as age and education level increased. The main refusal reasons claimed by participants were that they had medical conditions that may not qualify them for vaccination (53.78%), followed by safety concerns about the vaccine (13.56%), not knowing where to get vaccinated (6.44%), and concerns about fertility issues (5.56%). Conclusions: Despite a highly encouraging level of COVID-19 vaccine uptake in Zhejiang, China, the elderly and highly educated people had lower COVID-19 vaccine uptake. It is suggested that tailored health education strategies should be taken to increase the COVID-19 vaccine uptake in such groups. Furthermore, with vaccination rates at such a high level, the pandemic is still ongoing, and public confidence in vaccines may decline. Thus, sufficient evidence-based information regarding COVID-19 vaccines should be provided to the public.

Determination of early side effects after covid-19 vaccinations

Objectives: The first phase of the COVID-19 vaccine was launched in Turkey in January 2021 and was intended primarily for healthcare workers. Vaccine side effects play important role in building public confidence in vaccination. This study aims to determine the early-stage vaccine side effects in healthcare workers who have been given the COVID-19 vaccine.
 Methods: The research has a descriptive cross-sectional type of design. The data were collected face-to-face with the questionnaire form created by the researchers, which investigated the sociodemographic characteristics and vaccine complications of the participants.
 Results: The sample of the study consisted of 321 medical personnel (%55.6 female, %79.8 under 40 years, %67.1 nurses, %15.2 physicians, and %17.4 laboratory workers) who received the Covid-19 vaccine in Turkey and voluntarily agreed to participate in the study. The most common side effects associated with vaccination were as follows: pain (%46.3 Sinovac, %55.5 Pfizer- biotech), heat increase (%32.8 Sinovac, %30.7 Pfizer- biotech), whole-body aches (%55.2 Sinovac, %58.7 Pfizer- biotech) and injection site redness (%28.4 Sinovac, %26.0 Pfizer- biotech).
 Conclusions: The benefits of the Covid-19 vaccine outweigh its identified side effects of it. Most of the side effects reported in this study were consistent with Pfizer-Biotech.

ПРИМЕНЕНИЕ МЕХАНИЗМОВ «ПОДТАЛКИВАНИЯ» (NUDGE) В ПОПУЛЯРИЗАЦИИ ВАКЦИНАЦИИ. ОБЗОР ЗАРУБЕЖНЫХ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЙ

Immunization through vaccination is considered the most effective for the prevention of infectious diseases. There is public hesitation about vaccination; addressing this situation requires effective management strategies from the authorities. Public administrations in many countries use different ways and methods to stimulate the population, including behavioral regulation tools. The use of nudge has shown positive results in many areas and has the potential to be effective in increasing public confidence in vaccination. There are various options for “pushing” citizens to get vaccinated. Which of them are effective? What do the data from experimental studies published in scientific journals indicate? These questions have become central in the present article. To answer them, the authors reviewed studies from Russian and international scientific databases. The analysis of research papers made it possible to combine them into groups depending on the type of Nudge studied in them: “informing, reminding, disclosing information”, “simplifying and facilitating the choice”, “appealing to social norms”. The review found that the use of Nudge had a positive effect on public perceptions of vaccination. At the same time, Nudge tools, applied not only to citizens, but also to medical workers and other stakeholders, have a certain potential. The results of foreign experimental studies on the use of Nudge mechanisms for vaccination of the population may be useful in the development of appropriate interventions that are effective in changing the behavior of citizens, which is timely in the context of an ongoing pandemic.

ВЛИЯНИЕ ИНФОРМАЦИОННЫХ СООБЩЕНИЙ ПО ТЕМАТИКЕ COVID-19 НА ТЕМПЫ ВАКЦИНОПРОФИЛАКТИКИ НАСЕЛЕНИЯ

Significance. One of the understudied areas in shaping the attitude of the population towards vaccination is the impact of the content and intensity of information dissemination about vaccination via the Internet and traditional mass media. Analyzing the mass media impact in the situation of pandemics is especially relevant. The purpose of the study: to assess the impact of COVID-related information messages on the rate of population vaccination and determine specific features of the effective content. Material and methods. The material for the analysis was statistical data on the number and topic of information messages identified by online search queries in the monitoring and analysis system of mass media and social networks for the period from April 01, 2019 to April 13, 2022, the analysis of which was carried out on the basis of mathematical and linguistic analysis of texts of 81,000 open media sources. As well as information on the incidence and rate of vaccination available from the official website стопкоронавирус.рф for the same time period. Statistical analysis of the data was carried out by the method of hierarchical cluster analysis with the creation of dendrogram in the statistical package SPSS 22.00; by the method of correlation analysis with the calculation of the two-sided Pearson coefficient; during the result interpretation, only correlations at the significance level p<0.01 and the value of the correlation coefficient above 0.5 were taken into account. Results. The study shows that the parameters of vaccination considered in the article are hardly affected by the variables forming the “Neutrality Factor” cluster, and also allowed us to make a number of assumptions: the number of vaccinated is directly dependent upon the mortality rate and the volume of negative information in the media; the monthly increase in the number of vaccinated is directly related to the number of media reports with quotes from leading experts and references to statistical data, and is negatively associated with the proportion of neutral messages on the topic of the pandemic. Conclusion. The presented results made it possible to formulate priority directions for enhancing commitment of the Russian population to vaccination, increasing public confidence in vaccines, as well as directions to dramatically increase the rate of vaccination in extreme pandemic situations through intensification of the information and propaganda impact on the population. Moreover, according to the study results, such an impact, in order to be effective, must meet certain criteria. Scope of application. The study results can be used by executive authorities responsible for preserving the life and health of the citizens.

Intricacies Affiliated With Post-COVID Vaccine Complications in Makkah Province, Saudi Arabia.

Introduction COVID-19 vaccine side effects have a fundamental role in public confidence in the vaccine and its uptake process. Thus far, evidence on vaccine safety has been exclusively obtained from manufacturer-sponsored studies; therefore, this study is designed to assess post-COVID-19 vaccine complications in Makkah province, Saudi Arabia. Method A cross-sectional study included 840 subjects conducted from August to November 2022 to collect data about COVID-19 vaccineside effects. A validated questionnaire was used with 21 multiple-choice items covering demographic data, COVID-19 vaccination type, side effects, and medication used to relieve side effects. The online Raosoft sample size calculator (Raosoft Inc., Seattle, Washington) was utilized for sample size calculation. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 22.0 (IBM Inc., Armonk, New York) was utilized to carry out descriptive statistics. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to evaluate normal data distribution. Significance of categorized data made by the Pearson's Chi-Squared test and of the vaccination side effects experienced in general wellbeing on a scale of 1-10 by the Kruskal-Wallis test. Result The survey found that most participants in the 18-26 age group were from Jeddah, women, and Saudis. Only 7.1% of participants had comorbidities alone, and 63.1% of participants had previously had COVID-19. The vaccine types used in this study were primarily Pfizer (83.3%), AstraZeneca (9.5%), Moderna (3.6%), and combination vaccines (3.6%). The majority of the participants received vaccination up to the third dose. No side effects were reported by 9.5% of participants, while mild and severe side effects were reported by 90.5% and 23.8% of participants, respectively. Mild side effects included injection site pain, redness, tenderness, or itching (34.5%), fatigue (22.6%), low-grade fever, chills, diarrhea, headache (17.9%), and myalgia (14.3%). Conclusion The majority of the side effects of COVID-19 vaccination were minor reactions (90.5%), but 23.8% were found to be serious side effects, most of which lasted one to three days. More independent studies are needed to investigate gender differences, COVID-19 vaccine efficacy, and the prevalence of side effects in other populations conducted by academic institutions. Additional independent research on vaccine safety is urgently needed to increase public confidence in vaccines and to better understand risk factors for vaccine side effects.

Side Effects of COVID-19 Vaccines Primer Doses: Experience of Saudi Healthcare Workers Participating in CoVaST-SA.

Side effects emerging after COVID-19 vaccines may adversely impact public confidence in vaccines. Therefore, this study was designed to explore the short-term side effects of COVID-19 vaccines as a part of the COVID-19 Vaccines Safety Tracking (CoVaST) study. A cross-sectional survey-based study was carried out to collect data from healthcare workers (HCWs) in Saudi Arabia. The study was initiated between June and December 2021. A validated questionnaire was used in this study consisting of four categories, including demographic characteristics and medical anamnesis of the participants, COVID-19-associated anamnesis, and side effects of vaccine uptake. The study included 1039 participants, of which 70.2% were females, and their median age was 34. About 82.9% and 52.3% of the participants reported a minimum of both one local and systemic side effect, respectively. Females, young participants (≤34 years old), and non-obese participants had more potential to disclose post-vaccination side effects than their counterparts. Heterologous schedules and viral vector-based vaccines were linked with a greater rate of systemic side effects, whereas homologous vaccination schedules and mRNA-based vaccines were linked with a greater rate of local side effects. Future studies on COVID-19 vaccines should focus on the role of BMI, previous infection, and vaccination schedule in terms of vaccine safety and reactogenicity.

Factors contributing to vaccine hesitancy and reduced vaccine confidence in rural underserved populations

Vaccination remains one of the most effective ways to limit the spread of infectious diseases, and reduce mortality and morbidity in rural areas. Waning public confidence in vaccines, especially the COVID-19 vaccine, remains a cause for concern. A number of individuals in the US and worldwide remain complacent, choosing not to be vaccinated and/or delay COVID-19 vaccination, resulting in suboptimal herd immunity. The primary goal of this study is to identify modifiable factors contributing to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among vaccine-eligible individuals with access to vaccines in two under-resourced rural states, Alaska and Idaho. This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with providers and focus groups with community participants in Alaska and Idaho. A moderator’s guide was used to facilitate interviews and focus groups conducted and recorded using Zoom and transcribed verbatim. Thematic, qualitative analysis was conducted using QDA Miner. Themes and subthemes that emerged were labeled, categorized, and compared to previously described determinants of general vaccine hesitancy: established contextual, individual and/or social influences, vaccine and vaccination-specific concerns. Themes (n = 9) and sub-themes (n = 51) identified during the qualitative analysis highlighted a factor’s contributing to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and poor vaccine uptake. Relevant influenceable factors were grouped into three main categories: confidence, complacency, and convenience. Vaccines are effective public health interventions to promote health and prevent diseases in rural areas. Practical solutions to engage healthcare providers, researchers, vaccine advocates, vaccine manufacturers, and other partners in local communities are needed to increase public trust in immunization systems to achieve community immunity.

Vaccine safety in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons learned on the frontline.

Surveillance of Adverse Events Following Vaccination in the Community (SAEFVIC), Victoria's vaccine safety service for reporting adverse events following immunisation (AEFI), has provided integrated spontaneous surveillance and clinical services for individuals affected by AEFI since 2007. We describe SAEFVIC's response to the COVID-19 vaccine program, and reflect on lessons learned for vaccine safety. The massive scale of the Australian COVID-19 vaccine program required rapid adaptations across all aspects of SAEFVIC's vaccine safety services. Collection of AEFI reports was streamlined and expanded, incorporating both spontaneous and active surveillance data. Dramatically increased report volumes were managed with additional staffing, and innovations to automate, filter, and triage reports for priority follow up. There were two major adverse events of special interest (AESI): thrombosis with thrombocytopaenia syndrome and myocarditis, with multiple other AESI also investigated. Rapid escalation mechanisms to respond to AESI were established, along with AESI-specific databases for enhanced monitoring. Vaccine education and training resources were developed and public-facing vaccine safety reports updated weekly. Frequent communication with local and national government and regulatory bodies, and consultation with specialist groups was essential. The COVID-19 vaccine program has highlighted the importance of vaccine safety in supporting public confidence in vaccines and informing evidence-based immunisation policy. Supporting the COVID-19 vaccine program has required flexibility in adapting to policy changes and evolving vaccine safety signals, careful triage and prioritisation, informatics innovation, and enhanced engagement with the public regarding vaccine safety. Long-term investment to continue strengthening vaccine safety systems, building on lessons learned, will be essential for the ongoing success of Australian vaccination programs.

Shades of doubt: Measuring and classifying vaccination confidence in Europe

The anti-vaccination movement, vaccine hesitancy, and wavering vaccination confidence have increasingly become matters of public interest, in parallel with an increasing normalization of representations of vaccination as risky. In this study, we used data on vaccination beliefs and behaviors from two Eurobarometer surveys to classify attitudes towards vaccination and to discuss comparability, acquiescence, and other measurement issues. Through cluster analysis, we found that individuals in the European Union (EU27) can be classified into five opinion types, differentiating the poles (“vaccine-trusting” and “vaccine-distrusting”) from the “hesitant & free choice” cluster and from two relatively uncommitted clusters, the “agreeable” (or acquiescent) and the “fence-sitters.” Opinion configurations on vaccination were linked to the broader social structures of age, gender, and educational attainment, to experiences of adult vaccination, and trust in different information sources. We found that trust, distrust, and confusion about vaccination have permeated all social strata in EU countries. The pandemic years have amplified uncertainty concerning vaccine safety and its effectiveness. We also noticed a decrease of trust in the voices of mainstream medical experts during the pandemic period, from about 92 % in 2019 to 73 % in 2021, and a significant increase in people who declared that they “don’t know” whom to trust about vaccine information, ranging from 1 % to about 13 %. Measurements of vaccination confidence in Europe should control for acquiescence, through positively and negatively formulated items, and ensure comparability in time. We strongly recommend the inclusion of a battery of critical items in all future European Commission-funded surveys on vaccination to allow the monitoring of European public confidence in vaccination and in the relevant information sources, including trust in pharmaceutical companies; this will provide an avenue for re-establishing a broader confidence among citizens, health authorities, and specialists.

Vaccination campaign against COVID-19 in Ukraine: Current Problems of State Educational Policy and Outreach Work of Higher Medical Educational Institutions

The study is dedicated to the coverage of the peculiarities of the organization of the vaccination campaign against COVID-19 in Ukraine, all this, to analyze the achievements and current problems of the outreach work of medical institutions of higher education. This paper is an independent scientific research review with an analysis of the questionnaire data on the problematic issue. The study was based on the application of a series of theoretical and empirical methods: analysis, systematization and generalization of data on the search for the characteristics of the organization of dissemination work in higher medical education institutions; questionnaire survey to the participants of the educational process.The survey involved 250 respondents from the aforementioned medical HEIs. The results established the awareness of the participants and also testified to the feasibility and importance of strengthening outreach activities in the selected higher medical education institutions. We conclude that consistent disclosure about the risks, uncertainties and availability of vaccines fosters public confidence in vaccination.