Abstract 3584: COVID-19 vaccination primary and secondary hesitancy among veterans with cancer in the Arkansas-Louisiana-Texas Region
Authors: Haddad Philip A. , Hammoud Dalia , Mcgowen Miriam L. , Houston Laura , Craig Monica , McCain Trenesia , McGovern Paige , Phelan Michelle , Gallagher Kevin M. 
Published: June 2022

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be a major socioeconomic disruptor worldwide. The intervention that has a far-reaching impact is the adoption of an efficient nationwide vaccination campaign with the effective COVID-19 vaccines. The success of this strategy is dependent on the capacity of the existing healthcare systems and the public vaccine acceptance. Vaccine hesitancy is considered among the top global health threats. Its patterns and intensity vary by geosocial contexts. Due to the roll-out of the vaccine which was followed by the booster dose, we explored the demographic pattern and reasons behind the primary and secondary COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among our ArkLATX cancer patients.

Methods: Two cohorts were used to conduct this study (cohort 1 for primary and Cohort 2 for secondary vaccine hesitancy). An in-person survey of a random sample was conducted across 5 Hematology-Oncology clinics asking the veterans whether they are interested in receiving the initial COVID-19 vaccine and later the booster dose. If the veterans declined, they were asked to state the reason behind their decision. Age, sex, race, and state of residence were captured for each participant. Descriptive statistics were calculated and X2 and logistic regression were carried out to determine the impact of demographic factors on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.

Results: Cohorts 1&2 consisted of 240 and 303 veterans, respectively. The median age was 71 years. The participants were around 92% male vs 8% female and around 41% Black vs 59% White. In cohort-1, 21% declined due to concerns about safety (33%), not wanting to be the first (33%), anti-vaxxer stance (14%), and inadequate information (8%). Among other reasons (12%), 3 saw no reason for the vaccination, 2 cited severe reactions to prior vaccines, and 1 cited mistrust of the government. In cohort-2, 14% declined booster dose due to concerns about the need (55%) and safety (14%), anti-vax (19%), suspicious (5%), and medical reason and timing (7%). There were no statistical differences between veterans that approved of or declined receiving the vaccine with respect to demographic characteristics.

Conclusions: Our survey indicates that the majority of ArkLATX high-risk veterans with cancer are willing to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The major reasons behind vaccine primary and secondary hesitancy seem to be categorized as information issues consisting of questions about safety and the need for the vaccine. For primary hesitancy another major group consisted of a “diffusion of innovation late majority” that are open to COVID-19 vaccination, but they do not want to be the first to take it. Such barriers can be potentially circumvented by providing the appropriate targeted information campaigns and provider counseling.

Citation Format: Philip A. Haddad, Dalia Hammoud, Miriam L. Mcgowen, Laura Houston, Monica Craig, Trenesia McCain, Paige McGovern, Michelle Phelan, Kevin M. Gallagher. COVID-19 vaccination primary and secondary hesitancy among veterans with cancer in the Arkansas-Louisiana-Texas Region [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 3584.