17 COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among a UK cohort of patients living with HIV

Introduction There is evidence that people living with HIV (PLWH) have a higher risk of death and hospitalisation from COVID-19, particularly those with low CD4 counts or detectable viraemia. There have been calls to prioritise vaccination for PLWH globally, with early access to vaccination available in the UK.

Methods We performed a retrospective review of 200 sequential patients booked into HIV clinic within Sheffield Teaching Hospitals between November 2021 and January 2022 collecting HIV treatment and vaccination uptake (VU) data.

Result In this cohort of PLWH, triple VU by age closely matched national vaccination rates (89% in the 60-64 age group vs 84% nationally and 42% vs 43% in the 30-39 age group). Within the cohort there was no significant difference in VU between ethnic groups (white 89%, black 90%, asian 100% (p=0.57)). There was a significant difference in VU in those with detectable viraemia, with 42% having received ≥3 vaccinations, compared with 69% in the undetectable group (p=0.016). There was a similar difference for those with known treatment adherence issues (50% vs 70% (p=0.002)).

Discussion To our knowledge, this is the first study looking at COVID-19 vaccine uptake amongst PLWH within the UK. We identified patients most at risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19, are the least likely to be fully vaccinated. The same methods used to engage patients with anti-retroviral treatment is likely to be of benefit in increasing VU. Understanding the reasons for both poor adherence and poor VU would enable improved healthcare engagement with this population.