Abstract
Objective
To examine the relationship between knowing that a friend or family member became ill with, or died from, COVID-19 and receiving a vaccine dose within four months of the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization.
Methods
A national sample of 1,517 respondents were surveyed from April 7 to April 12, 2021, 1,193 of whom were eligible for the vaccine when the data were collected.
Results
Respondents who knew someone who became ill with COVID-19 (AOR = 2.32, 95 % CI 1.74–3.09) or knew someone who died (AOR = 2.29, 95 % CI 1.32–3.99) from COVID-19 were more likely to receive at least a single COVID-19 vaccine dose.
Conclusion
Encouraging people to share their COVID-19 illness and bereavement experiences with their local network such as friends, families, social-networks and via social media might help increase vaccine uptake.
Citation
Saurabh Kalra, Deepak Kalra, Irina Grafova, Julia Sass Rubin, Alan Monheit, Joel Cantor, Paul Duberstein, Soumitra S. Bhuyan, 2023. “Association of death or illness from COVID-19 among family and friends on vaccine uptake within four months of the Emergency Use Authorization. Findings from a national survey in the United States, Vaccine, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.01.024.
Julia Rubin is an Associate Professor, Director of the Public Policy program, and Associate Dean of Academic Programs
Joel Cantor is a Distinguished Professor of Public Policy and Director, Center for State Health Policy
Soumitra Bhuyan is an Associate Professor in the Health Administration program
