Real-life experience on COVID-19 and seasonal influenza vaccines co-administration in the vaccination hub of the University Hospital of Palermo, Italy

• Published in: Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics Vol. 20; no. 1; p. 2327229
• Main Authors: Costantino, Claudio, Mazzucco, Walter, Conforto, Arianna, Cimino, Livia, Pieri, Alessia, Rusignolo, Sara, Bonaccorso, Nicole, Bravatà, Floriana, Pipitone, Laura, Sciortino, Martina, Tocco, Marcello, Zarcone, Elena, Graziano, Giorgio, Tramuto, Fabio, Maida, Carmelo Massimo, Casuccio, Alessandra, Vitale, Francesco
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Taylor & Francis 31-12-2024; Taylor & Francis Group
• Subjects: co-administration; Coronavirus; COVID-19 seasonal vaccination; Influenza seasonal vaccination; vaccination acceptance; vaccination attitudes; COVID-19 seasonal vaccination; vaccination attitudes; co-administration; Influenza seasonal vaccination; vaccination acceptance
• ISSN: 2164-5515; 2164-554X
• DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2024.2327229

With the pandemic, there has been a global reduction in influenza virus circulation, with WHO reporting, during 2021/22 season, laboratory testing positivity rate for influenza of less than 3%. Influenza surveillance systems anticipated a peak of influenza cases in the Northern Hemisphere during 2022/2023 season and the Italian Ministry of Health recommended the routinary co-administration of influenza with bivalent COVID-19 vaccines for the 2022/2023 season. At the Vaccination Hub of the University Hospital (UH) of Palermo, more than 700 subjects received influenza and COVID-19 booster doses in co-administration, during the 2021/2022 season. A cross-sectional study analyzing attitudes and factors associated with adherence to influenza and COVID-19 seasonal vaccines co-administration was conducted at the Vaccination Hub of the UH of Palermo, from October to December 2022. Among the 1,263 respondents, 74.7% (
 = 944) received the co-administration of seasonal influenza and COVID-19 vaccines. The main reason reported for accepting it was confidence in the recommendations of the Health Ministry (41.3%). At the multivariable analysis, subjects aged ≤ 59 y old (AdjOR: 2.48; CIs95%: 1.89-3.65), male (AdjOR: 1.51; CIs95%: 1.27-1.75), Health-care professionals (HCPs) (AdjOR: 1.66; CIs95%: 1.08-2.57) and those who received co-administration during 2021/2022 (AdjOR: 41.6; CIs95%: 25.5-67.9) were significantly more prone to receive co-administration during 2022/23 season. From data obtained, the role of HCPs in accepting and then promoting co-administration of COVID-19 and influenza vaccines is crucial, as well as receiving co-administration in the previous season that represented the main drive for accepting it in the following seasons, supporting safety and effectiveness of this procedure.