In a survey-based study published in Pediatric Blood & Cancer that included 130 caregivers of childhood cancer survivors, 21% of caregivers expressed hesitancy to vaccinate themselves and 29% expressed hesitancy to vaccinate their children who had survived cancer.
Caregivers who expressed confidence in the federal government's response to COVID-19 were 6-times more likely to express willingness to self-vaccinate and were 3-times more likely to express willingness to vaccinate their children.
Caregivers who reported that they were hesitant to vaccinate expressed concerns about the swiftness of COVID-19 vaccine development and insufficient safety and efficacy data in children, particularly children with cancer.
"Results suggest that COVID-19 vaccination outreach to hesitant caregivers might be more effective when delivered by non-governmental organizations, including pediatric oncology care teams," said senior author Kyle Walsh, PhD, of the Duke Cancer Institute. "Such providers are well-positioned to discuss potential risks and benefits of vaccination and to update families as longer-term outcomes data emerge from vaccine trials and registries."
