The COVID-19 Pandemic Led to a Small Increase in Changed Mentality Regarding Infection Risk without Any Change in Willingness to Be Vaccinated in Chronic Diseases Patients

Cyril Breuker (1, 2) , Anne Marie Guedj (3, 2) , Mathilde Allan (2) , Loick Coinus (2) , Nicolas Molinari (2) , Nicolas Chapet (2) , François Roubille (1, 2) , Moglie Le Quintrec (2) , Véronique Duhalde , Julien Jouglen , Philippe Cestac (4) , Jean Marie Kinowski (3) , Stéphanie Faure (2) , Marie Faucanie (2) , Laura Lohan (1, 2) , Maxime Villiet (2) , Romain Altwegg (2) , Ariane Sultan (1, 2)

1 PhyMedExp - Physiologie & médecine expérimentale du Cœur et des Muscles [U 1046]
2 CHRU Montpellier - Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire [Montpellier]
3 CHU Nîmes - Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nîmes
4 Equipe Vieillissement (CERPOP)

The objective of this study was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients’ perceptions regarding infection risk and vaccination in subjects suffering from chronic diseases. A prospective observational multicentric study conducted from December 2020 to April 2021 in three French University Hospitals. Patients with chronic diseases were proposed to complete a questionnaire regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on infectious risk knowledge and vaccination. A total of 1151 patients were included and analyzed (62% of which were people with diabetes). The COVID-19 pandemic increased awareness of infectious risks by 19.3%, significantly more in people with diabetes (23.2%, from 54.4% to 67.0%, p < 0.01) when compared to the other high-risk patients (12.5%, from 50.5% to 56.8%, p = 0.06). Respectively, 30.6% and 16.5% of patients not up-to-date for pneumococcal and flu vaccines reported wanting to update their vaccination due to the COVID-19 pandemic. By contrast, the proportion of patients against vaccines increased during the COVID-19 pandemic (6.0% vs. 9.5%, p < 0.01). The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a small increase in awareness regarding the risks of infection in patients with chronic diseases, including people with diabetes, but without any change in willingness to be vaccinated. This underlines the urgent need to sensibilize people with diabetes to infection risk and the importance of vaccination.

Mots clés: COVID-19 pandemic; chronic disease; infection risk; people living with diabetes; vaccination coverage

Domaines: Santé publique et épidémiologie; Maladies émergentes; Maladies infectieuses; Psychologie

Cyril Breuker, Anne Marie Guedj, Mathilde Allan, Loick Coinus, Nicolas Molinari, et al.. The COVID-19 Pandemic Led to a Small Increase in Changed Mentality Regarding Infection Risk without Any Change in Willingness to Be Vaccinated in Chronic Diseases Patients. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2021, 10 (17), pp.3967. ⟨10.3390/jcm10173967⟩. ⟨hal-03340855⟩