| Description |
Vaccine hesitancy is defined by the World Health Organization as a "delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite availability of vaccination services," and is affected by a wide range of factors. Some of these factors identified in the literature include perceived safety and importance of vaccines, as well as high levels of fear regarding the disease in question. This study utilized data from the Utah RECOVER Study (Research on the Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in Essential Response Personnel), which is a prospective cohort study, to evaluate whether participants' perception regarding chances of future infection, anxiety regarding future infection, and the importance of obtaining COVID-19 immunizations is changed after being diagnosed with an infection. Using a difference-in-difference calculation, participants who were identified as being COVID-19 positive during the duration of the study did not experience as great an increase in their concern for future COVID-19 infections as did the uninfected group. Furthermore, their concern and anxiety regarding future infections trended towards not increasing as much as those who did not have an infection. By understanding how a history of infection with a particular disease may impact perceptions of future risk and vaccination, approaches toward public health education and campaigns can be modified. ii |
