Are you vaccinated? COVID-19 vaccination rates and the effect of a vaccination program in a metropolitan mental health inpatient population in Australia. (February 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hooper, Kaylin; Hooper, Michael; Nguyen, Jessica; Fukutomi, Akira
• Is Part Of: Australasian psychiatry. Volume 31:Number 1(2023)
• Page Start: 38
• Page End: 42
• Publication Date: 2023-02
• Subjects: COVID-19 -- mental health -- psychiatry -- vaccination -- severe mental illness; Psychiatry -- Australasia -- Periodicals; Psychiatry -- Periodicals; 616.89005
• DOI: 10.1177/10398562221136756
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1039-8562

Abstract

Objective: To assess the COVID-19 vaccination rates of a severe mental illness (SMI) population in Western Australia (WA) in January to March 2022, and to evaluate an inpatient COVID-19 vaccination program available to this group. Method: A retrospective audit of the COVID-19 vaccination status of inpatients at the Mental Health Unit (MHU) at a tertiary hospital in WA was conducted and compared with the state average. Additionally, the medical records were interrogated to determine whether eligible inpatients were offered and received COVID-19 vaccination via the inpatient vaccination program. Results: Vaccination rates for the MHU population were substantially lower than those for the WA population, particularly earlier in 2022. During January, just 49.0% of admitted patients had received two doses of the vaccine, compared to 92.8% of WA. Over the three months, 67 (47.2%) of all admissions were eligible for vaccination during their admission and 19 of the eligible patients (28.4%) were successfully vaccinated. Conclusion: This audit has demonstrated a slow uptake of COVID-19 vaccinations in the SMI population, despite the wide availability for 12 months prior to this period. This indicates a significant potential for targeted, assertive programs to improve vaccination rates in this population group.