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. 2022 Oct 14;19(20):13275.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph192013275.

The Relationship between Searches for COVID-19 Vaccines and Dynamics of Vaccinated People in Poland: An Infodemiological Study

Anna Kłak  1 , Konrad Furmańczyk  1   2 , Paulina Maria Nowicka  1 , Małgorzata Mańczak  3 , Agnieszka Barańska  4 , Urszula Religioni  5 , Anna Siekierska  6 , Martyna Ambroziak  7 , Magdalena Chłopek  7
Affiliations

The Relationship between Searches for COVID-19 Vaccines and Dynamics of Vaccinated People in Poland: An Infodemiological Study

Anna Kłak et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Google Trends has turned out to be an appropriate tool for evaluating correlations and prognostic modelling regarding infectious diseases. The possibility of selecting a vaccine against COVID-19 has increased social interest in particular vaccines. The objective of this study was to show dependencies between the frequency of searches for COVID-19 vaccinations and the number of vaccinated people in Poland, along with epidemiological data.

Methods: Data were collected regarding Google searches for COVID-19 vaccines, the number of people in Poland vaccinated against COVID-19, the number of new cases, and the number of deaths due to COVID-19. Data were filtered from 27 December 2020 to 1 September 2021.

Results: The number of new vaccinations smoothed per million correlated most strongly with searches for the word 'Pfizer' in Google Trends (Kendall's tau = 0.46, p < 0.001). The number of new deaths correlated most strongly with the search phrase 'AstraZeneca' (Kendall's tau = 0.46, p < 0.001). The number of new cases per million correlated most strongly with searches for 'AstraZeneca' (Kendall's tau = 0.49, p < 0.001). The maximum daily number of searches ranged between 110 and 130. A significant interest in COVID-19 vaccines was observed from February to June 2021, i.e., in the period of a considerable increase in the number of new cases and new deaths due to COVID-19.

Conclusions: A significant increase in interest in COVID-19 vaccines was observed from February to June 2021, i.e., in the period of gradually extended access to vaccinations, as well as a considerable increase in the number of new cases and new deaths due to COVID-19. The use of Google Trends with relevant keywords and a comparison with the course of the COVID-19 pandemic facilitates evaluation of the relationship between the frequency and types of searches for COVID-19 vaccines and epidemiological data.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; epidemiology; immunisation; infodemiology; vaccinations; vaccine.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The frequency of searches for COVID-19 vaccinations vs. epidemiological data.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Local Polynomial Regression model of dependencies between new deaths and the search for the phrase ‘AstraZeneca’ in Google Trends.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Local Polynomial Regression model of dependencies between new cases and the search for the term ‘AstraZeneca’ in Google Trends.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Local Polynomial Regression model of dependencies between new deaths and the search for the term ‘AstraZeneca’ in Google Trends.
Figure 5
Figure 5
The frequency of searches for the terms ‘AstraZeneca’, ‘Moderna’, ‘Pfizer’, ‘mRNA’, ‘registration for vaccination’, ‘mRNA vaccines’, ‘vaccine on COVID-19’ in Google Trends in the period of 249 days (from 27 December 2020 to 1 September 2021).
Figure 6
Figure 6
The characteristics of the COVID-19 epidemic in Poland in the period of 249 days (from 27 December 2020 to 1 September 2021).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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