COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy among Patients Recovered from COVID-19 Infection in Wuhan, China: A Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study.

BACKGROUND: Although patients recovered from COVID-19 infection already have immunity gained from natural infection, they are still at risk of reinfection due to the emergence of new variants of COVID-19 and the diminishing of naturally acquired immunity. COVID-19 vaccine is associated with efficacious protection against COVID-19 infection and could boost infection-acquired immunity, however, certain amounts of COVID-19 survivors have not been vaccinated due to vaccine hesitancy. OBJECTIVE: The current study aimed to investigate COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and related factors among COVID-19 survivors. METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among patients recovered from COVID-19 infection in Wuhan, China between June 10 and July 25, 2021. Questionnaire included sociodemographic information, items on COVID-19 infection, the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy scale based on the 3Cs' model, trust in vaccine manufacturers and health facilities, and reasons for the decision to COVID-19 vaccination. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to assess the influenced factors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. RESULTS: Among 1422 participants, 538 (37.8%) were not vaccinated against COVID-19. COVID-19 recovered patients who perceived current unhealthy status had more hesitancy about COVID-19 vaccine than those who perceived themselves healthy (OR 0.45, 95% CI 0.28-0.71). Compared to the asymptomatic patients, patients with mild symptoms were more likely to receive COVID-19 vaccine (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.02-2.82). Regarding the 3Cs' model, high complacency and low convenience were significant negative factors for COVID-19 vaccination (P<.05). Trust in vaccine manufacturers and health facilities was a significant positive factor for COVID-19 vaccination (OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.09-1.19). "Self-needs" was the main reason for patients to receive the COVID-19 vaccine; "already have antibodies and do not need vaccination" was the main reason for patients not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. CONCLUSIONS: Among the three major factors of vaccine hesitancy, complacency was proved the most notable one among COVID-19 recovered patients, educational campaigns can focus on raising the awareness of risk of infection and the benefits of vaccination to reduce complacency toward vaccination among them. For COVID-19 recovered patients, improving factors related to convenience such as transportation and environment of vaccination and proving door-to-door service were also necessary to facilitate their vaccination. In addition, addressing the concerns about vaccination of COVID-19 recovered patients could foster trust and promote their vaccination.