Self-identified fat people’s understanding of the need for, and use of, long needles when being vaccinated against COVID-19: findings from a international online exploratory survey

ABSTRACT This short report presents the findings of an online survey of self-identified fat people in eight countries identified as having guidelines for the use of long needles in SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination programmes. The survey captures fat people’s understanding of the need for, and knowledge about the use of, a long needle when being vaccinated against COVID-19. Our findings identified a knowledge gap amongst fat people about the need for long needles and whether they are being used in practice. Respondents reported a lack of information and discussion about the need for long needles and most did not know if they had been used. We cannot determine whether long needle guidelines are being followed in practice in the absence of information and discussion with fat people about their use. We make recommendations for updating training and practice to ensure the vaccinator workforce is implementing long needle guidelines and has the skills and resources to initiate conversations with fat people about their use. This will help ensure vaccine confidence and vaccine equity.