Objective: Influenza (IV) and pneumococcal (PV) vaccination rates have been reported as suboptimal among patients with diabetes before the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to evaluate IV and PV uptake before and during the pandemic and to assess whether awareness and attitudes toward routine vaccinations changed.
Materials and
Methods: We conducted a single-center, paired within-subject study that included patients with diabetes who attended Internal Medicine and Endocrinology outpatient clinics between October 2022 and April 2023. The same patient group was evaluated, and their IV and PV status, awareness, and attitudes toward vaccination during both pre-pandemic and pandemic periods were assessed and compared to determine temporal changes.

Results: Among 515 diabetic patients (62% female, mean age of 59±11 years), IV increased from 27.7% to 40.7%, and PV rose from 11.4% to 18.4% (both p<0.001). Awareness of routine adult vaccinations increased substantially during the pandemic, rising from 32% to 54% for IV and from 15% to 28% for PV (p<0.001). During the pandemic, older age, longer diabetes duration, prior IV, history of COVID-19, and receipt of COVID-19 vaccine independently predicted IV; older age and prior COVİD-19 predicted PV. Despite gains, 46% remained unaware of recommended IV and/or PV by the end of 2021.

Conclusion: Our results are particularly valuable in highlighting the increased awareness and risk perception during the pandemic, which contributed to a rise in routine vaccination uptake among diabetic patients. However, the IV and PV coverage rates among diabetic patients remained below the targets recommended by the World Health Organization.