COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Rheumatic Diseases Patients

Rheumatological diseases (RD) are an important group of different clinical entities and specific diseases that affect a significant proportion of the world population. In Mexico, the RD have a relevant representation in the adult population. COVID-19 vaccination has been proposed as a measure to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. The vaccines have been shown to be effective and reasonably safe in the population without significant risk factors, which has allowed their approval to attend the health emergency. At present, there is little scientific information that allows a solid recommendation on vaccination for COVID-19 in patients with RD, although most authorities have spoken in favor of vaccination in immunocompromised patients, as are a relevant number of patients with RD. However, it is desirable to achieve herd immunity to facilitate the impact of vaccination on the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection. For this, it is required that around 70% -80% of the target population be vaccinated, which implies not only access to the vaccine but also accepting to be vaccinated.

Vaccine hesitancy is defined as the delay or refusal to accept the vaccine when it is available by health services. Sometimes, they conceptualize it as a continuum and also includes the high demand from the population for the vaccine; In this continuum, there are variations in acceptance and rejection and multiple possible combinations, from acceptance with great concern about the decision to rejection of certain vaccines but not others. It is a complex, contextual, changing phenomenon, specific for each vaccine and the referred disease and probably influenced by cultural determinants.