Consistently high willingness to receive an annual COVID-19 booster vaccination

(Image: Pixabay CC0) - In view of the constant emergence of new viral variants and the limited duration of immune protection through recovery or vaccination, it is becoming increasingly likely that an annual COVID-19 booster vaccination might be needed. Working with colleagues from the Transatlantic Research Lab on Complex Societal Challenges, Jakob Weitzer and Eva Schernhammer from the Department of Epidemiology at the Medical University of Vienna and Gerald Steiner from the University of Continuing Education Krems investigated the willingness of the population to be vaccinated annually against COVID-19. The researchers conducted a survey in August 2021 among 3,067 people living in the D'A-CH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) region. Of those surveyed in the D'A-CH region, 2,480 (80.9%) had already been vaccinated against COVID-19 or planned to be vaccinated. Of these, 82.4% said they were willing to be vaccinated annually against COVID-19. The study also found that this willingness to receive an annual COVID-19 booster vaccine was higher in Austria (81.6%) and Germany (87.2%) than in Switzerland (77. Older people were more willing to be vaccinated than younger people.