Dear Editor, we would like to share ideas on the publication “Attitudes and Beliefs of Patients With Left-Ventricular Assist Devices (LVAD) Toward COVID-19 Vaccination and Willingness to Seek Care During the Pandemic.” 1 Left-Ventricular Assist Devices care teams emphasize that patients should seek care for emergency medical issues despite their concerns about getting COVID-19, according to Kaplan et al’s observations in their study. 1 For this population, Kaplan et al also suggested vaccination uptake education that concentrated on patients' worries about major side effects and a lack of data on the vaccine. 1 We both think that education is crucial for managing the reluctance issue.
Fear about vaccines is a widespread issue right now. There are numerous elements that contribute to the hesitation. One key issue is the public’s trust in the local health care system. It is necessary to be aware that the reluctance can vary throughout time. 2 To obtain the most recent data for addressing the hesitancy issue, the longitudinal follow-up should be taken into consideration.
Footnotes
Author Contributions: Rujittika Mungmunpuntipantip, PhD, contributed 50% of the ideas, writing, analyzing, and approval for the final submission. Viroj Wiwanitkit, MD, contributed 50% of the ideas, supervising, and approval for the final submission.
Conflicts of Interest: None declared
Funding: None declared
References
- 1. Kaplan H, Schoen L, Blumenthal-Barby J, Kostick K, Ubel P, Dang BN. Attitudes and beliefs of patients with left-ventricular assist devices toward COVID-19 vaccination and willingness to seek care during the pandemic. Perm J. 2022;26(2):64–68. 10.7812/TPP/21.207 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 2. Mungmunpuntipantip R, Wiwanitkit V. COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy. Recenti Prog Med. 2021;112(9):596. 10.1111/odi.14050 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]