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Emad Salawati,1 Hassan Alwafi,2,3 Mohammed Samannodi,4 Faisal Minshawi,5 Atheer Gari,6 Suhail Abualnaja,6 Mohammed A Almatrafi7 1Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia; 3Alnoor Specialist Hospital, Makkah, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia; 5Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia; 6Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 7Department of Pediatrics, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Emad SalawatiDepartment of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi ArabiaTel +966560058585Fax +966126400855Email esalawati@kau.edu.saPurpose: To explore the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on caregivers’ willingness to vaccinate their children against influenza in 2021 in Saudi Arabia and the factors influencing this decision.Patients and Methods: An online survey of 2501 caregivers in Saudi Arabia with children aged 6 months– 18 years was conducted between July 15, 2021, and August 2, 2021. A convenience sample of participants that met the inclusion criteria was used as the study sample. Social Science Package Statistical (SPSS) was used for the statistical analysis. Categorical variables were reported as frequencies and percentages. The Chi-square test was used for categorical variables to assess the difference between the variables and the parents’ willingness to vaccinate their children against seasonal influenza after the COVID-19 pandemic.Results: Of the 2501 respondents to the survey, 1185 (47.3%) parents plan to give their children the influenza vaccine next year, which is an increase from 745 (29.8%) in the previous year. The following were the main reasons for not giving children the vaccine: children were less likely to get seasonal flu (617, 24.7%), fear of side effects (491, 19.6%), and fear of needles and syringes (484, 19.4%). Among the parents, 1222 (48.9%) were more likely to receive the seasonal flu vaccine themselves the following year, and 1361 (54.4%), which is more than half, were concerned about their children contracting seasonal influenza.Conclusion: Parents’ decision-making to vaccinate their children against seasonal influenza has been influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Numerous factors including a caregiver who had received the seasonal influenza vaccine themselves, who had vaccinated or planned to vaccinate their children during the previous or current seasonal influenza season, and/or who had a higher education level were associated with increased willingness to receive the flu vaccine.Keywords: seasonal flu, novel coronavirus, immunization, COVID-19 |
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