(Belga) There is no reason to assume that people with a psychiatric disorder will not accept the offer to be vaccinated as willingly as other Flemish people. This is apparent from recent research at the University Psychiatric Center (UPC) KU Leuven, which will be published in the Artsenkrant on Thursday.
dr. Victor Mazereel, doctoral student at KU Leuven and a psychiatrist in training, together with professor Marc De Hert, chief pharmacist Siska Desplenter and fellow doctor in training Tom Vanbrabant, checked how many patients in the UPC KU Leuven had been partially or fully vaccinated between March 31 and 19. July 2021. Previous research among patients with a psychiatric disorder showed that the willingness to receive other vaccinations was high, but the ultimate vaccination rate was low, says Dr Mazereel. The research shows that 93 percent (1,070) of the 1,151 patients in the UPC KU Leuven, regardless of the condition, had themselves vaccinated against the corona virus. At the time of the survey last July, nearly 89 percent of the adult population in Flanders had been vaccinated for the first time. The study, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, confirms results from other studies showing that people with psychiatric illness are equally willing to be vaccinated, says Dr Mazereel. “It also shows that you can increase the vaccination coverage in this population group through targeted vaccination programs, such as in Belgium.” Last year, also in The Lancet Psychiatry, the researchers argued in favor of vaccinating people with a psychiatric disorder as a priority. After all, research shows that they contract the coronavirus faster. “How exactly this happens is not yet entirely clear, but it is probably a combination of biological and social factors,” explains Dr. Mazereel. If they become infected, this often has negative consequences for patients with a psychiatric disorder. “That’s because they often suffer from comorbid conditions such as diabetes, lung or cardiovascular disease, which are risk factors for COVID-19 infection and excess mortality. As a result, these patients are more likely to end up in intensive care, they are also at increased risk of The latter appears to be particularly true for patients with schizophrenia.” “Because there were sufficient vaccines available in our country, the vaccination campaign progressed well and the approach did not pose any problems,” he continues. “In regions where there is limited availability of covid vaccines such as large parts of Asia and Africa, priority vaccination of this population is a necessity,” concludes Dr Victor Mazereel. (Belgium)
dr. Victor Mazereel, doctoral student at KU Leuven and a psychiatrist in training, together with professor Marc De Hert, chief pharmacist Siska Desplenter and fellow doctor in training Tom Vanbrabant, checked how many patients in the UPC KU Leuven had been partially or fully vaccinated between March 31 and 19. July 2021. Previous research among patients with a psychiatric disorder showed that the willingness to receive other vaccinations was high, but the ultimate vaccination rate was low, says Dr Mazereel. The research shows that 93 percent (1,070) of the 1,151 patients in the UPC KU Leuven, regardless of the condition, had themselves vaccinated against the corona virus. At the time of the survey last July, nearly 89 percent of the adult population in Flanders had been vaccinated for the first time. The study, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, confirms results from other studies showing that people with psychiatric illness are equally willing to be vaccinated, says Dr Mazereel. “It also shows that you can increase the vaccination coverage in this population group through targeted vaccination programs, such as in Belgium.” Last year, also in The Lancet Psychiatry, the researchers argued in favor of vaccinating people with a psychiatric disorder as a priority. After all, research shows that they contract the coronavirus faster. “How exactly this happens is not yet entirely clear, but it is probably a combination of biological and social factors,” explains Dr. Mazereel. If they become infected, this often has negative consequences for patients with a psychiatric disorder. “That’s because they often suffer from comorbid conditions such as diabetes, lung or cardiovascular disease, which are risk factors for COVID-19 infection and excess mortality. As a result, these patients are more likely to end up in intensive care, they are also at increased risk of The latter appears to be particularly true for patients with schizophrenia.” “Because there were sufficient vaccines available in our country, the vaccination campaign progressed well and the approach did not pose any problems,” he continues. “In regions where there is limited availability of covid vaccines such as large parts of Asia and Africa, priority vaccination of this population is a necessity,” concludes Dr Victor Mazereel. (Belgium)
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