COVID-19 Morbidity and Mortality in Social Networks: Does It Influence Vaccine Hesitancy?

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health Vol. 18; no. 18; p. 9448
• Main Authors: Khubchandani, Jagdish, Sharma, Sushil, Price, James H., Wiblishauser, Michael J., Webb, Fern J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 07.09.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Adults; Brief Report; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 vaccines; Education; Hospitalization; Immunization; Infections; Morbidity; Mortality; Questionnaires; Social interactions; Social networks; Social organization; Sociodemographics; Vaccines; Validity; United States > US
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18189448

The impact of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality among family and friends on vaccination preferences is not well explored. A valid and reliable questionnaire was deployed online via mTurk to recruit a national random sample of adult Americans to understand COVID-19 vaccination preferences and its relationship with COVID-19 infection in social networks. A total of 1602 individuals participated in the study where the majority had taken at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine (79%) and almost a tenth were planning to do so (10%) or did not want to take the vaccine (11%). Compared to those who knew family members or friends affected by COVID-19, those who did not know anyone infected with (AOR = 3.20), hospitalized for (AOR = 3.60), or died of COVID-19 (AOR = 2.97) had statistically significantly higher odds of refusing the vaccines. Most strategies for reducing COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy focus on highlighting the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines. We suggest that the dangers of not getting the vaccine should also be emphasized as many people who do not know someone who was affected with COVID-19 are also hesitant towards vaccination. These individuals may not fully appreciate the morbidity and mortality impact of COVID-19 infections and the messaging can be tailored to highlight the risk of not having vaccines.