Choosing a COVID-19 vaccination site might be driven by anxiety and body vigilance.

Background: The occurrence of COVID-19 led to the rapid development of several vaccines which were distributed around the world. Even though there had been a vast amount of information about both virus and vaccination, this process was potentially related to increased anxiety and thus affected the vaccination process. Objective: The present study examined anxiety levels and body vigilance in subjects reporting for COVID-19 vaccination at different vaccination sites. Methods: Instruments used included general socio-demographic questionnaires and specifically constructed ones such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), body vigilance scale (BVS), and coronavirus anxiety scale (CAS). Results: A total of 227 subjects enrolled in the study reported mild GAD and CAS scores and relatively low scores on BVS. When the subjects were divided according to a vaccination site (under supervision and non-supervised), it turned out that subjects vaccinated under supervision were more anxious (higher GAD and CAS) and had their body vigilance increased. Conclusion: In conclusion, there is a need for highlighting the importance of efficient planning and organization of vaccination process, since to a certain extent it is driven by both anxiety and body vigilance.