People who use drugs have lower vaccination uptake than the general population and experience a greater burden of harm from vaccine-preventable diseases. Researchers conducted interviews with people who use drugs to identify the factors that enable and deter them from getting vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus in Canada. They also looked at possible interventions to support their decision-making related to vaccination. Results showed that many partially or unvaccinated participants said they lacked knowledge about the COVID-19 vaccine, particularly its usefulness and benefits. Reasons for getting vaccinated were to protect themselves or others and because government mandates in certain provinces required people to get vaccinated in order to access services, attend work or travel.
To read more about this research, including the study findings, read this plain language summary. Also available in French.