Dataset Information

International Practices on COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates for Transplant Candidates.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic created unprecedented challenges for solid organ transplant centers worldwide. We sought to assess an international perspective on COVID-19 vaccine mandates and rationales for or against mandate policies.

Methods

We administered an electronic survey to staff at transplant centers outside the United States (October 14, 2021-January 28, 2022) assessing the reasons cited by transplant centers for or against implementing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Each responding center was represented once in the analysis.

Results

Respondents (N=90) represented 27 countries on five continents. Half (51%) of responding transplant center representatives reported implementing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, 38% did not, and 12% were unsure. Staff at centers implementing a vaccine mandate cited efficacy of pretransplant vaccination versus post-transplant vaccination, importance for public health, and minimizing exposure of other patients as rationale for the mandate. Of centers with a mandate, the majority (81%) of the centers mandate vaccination regardless of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection status and regardless of prevaccination spike-protein antibody titer or other markers of prior infection. Only 27% of centers with a vaccine mandate for transplant candidates also extended a vaccine requirement to living donor candidates. Centers not implementing a vaccine mandate cited concerns for undue pressure on transplant candidates, insufficient evidence to support vaccine mandates, equity, and legal considerations.

Conclusions

The approach to pretransplant COVID-19 vaccination mandate policies at international transplant centers is heterogeneous. International transplant centers with a vaccine mandate were more willing to extend vaccine requirements to candidates' support persons, cohabitants, and living donors. Broader stakeholder engagement to overcome vaccine hesitancy across the world is needed to increase the acceptance of pretransplant COVID-19 vaccination to protect the health of transplant patients.

SUBMITTER: Caliskan Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9717656 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

International Practices on COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates for Transplant Candidates.

Caliskan Yasar Y Hippen Benjamin E BE Axelrod David A DA Schnitzler Mark M Maher Kennan K Alhamad Tarek T Lam Ngan N NN Anwar Siddiq S Kute Vivek V Lentine Krista L KL

Kidney360 20220815 10

<h4>Background</h4>The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic created unprecedented challenges for solid organ transplant centers worldwide. We sought to assess an international perspective on COVID-19 vaccine mandates and rationales for or against mandate policies.<h4>Methods</h4>We administered an electronic survey to staff at transplant centers outside the United States (October 14, 2021-January 28, 2022) assessing the reasons cited by transplant centers for or against implementing a CO ...[more]

PMID: 36514724

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Project description:The rollout of vaccines against COVID-19 is prompting governments and the private sector to adopt mandates. However, there has been little conceptual analysis of the types of mandates available, nor empirical analysis of how the public thinks about different mandates and why. Our conceptual study examines available instruments, how they have been implemented pre-COVID, and their use for COVID-19 globally. Then, our qualitative study reports the acceptability of such measures in Western Australia, which has experienced very limited community transmission, posing an interesting scenario for vaccine acceptance and acceptability of measures to enforce it. Our conceptual study developed categories of mandates from extant work, news reports, and legislative interventions globally. Then, our empirical study asked 44 West Australians about their attitudes towards potential mandatory policies, with data analysed using NVivo 12. Our novel studies contribute richness and depth to emerging literature on the types and varying acceptability of vaccine requirements. Participants demonstrated tensions and confusion about whether instruments were incentives or punishments, and many supported strong consequences for non-vaccination even if they ostensibly opposed mandates. Those attached to restrictions for disease prevention were most popular. There were similar degrees of support for mandates imposed by employers or businesses, with participants showing little concern for potential issues of accountability linked to public health decisions delegated to the private sector. Participants mostly supported tightly regulated medical exemptions granted by specialists, with little interest in religious or personal belief exemptions. Our participants are used to being governed by vaccine mandates, and now by rigorous lockdown and travel restrictions that have ensured limited local COVID-19 disease and transmission. These factors appear influential in their general openness to COVID-19 vaccine mandates, especially when linked explicitly to the prevention of disease in high-risk settings.

Dataset Information

International Practices on COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates for Transplant Candidates.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

International Practices on COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates for Transplant Candidates.

Similar Datasets

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