Abstract
ObjectivesThis study aimed to identify coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine perception, acceptance, confidence, hesitancy, and barriers among health care workers (HCWs).MethodsAn online national cross-sectional pilot-validated questionnaire was self-administered by HCWs in Saudi Arabia, which is a nation with MERS-CoV experience. The main outcome variable was HCWs’ acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine candidates. The factors associated with vaccination acceptance were identified through a logistic regression analysis, and the level of anxiety was measured using a validated instrument to measure general anxiety levels.ResultsOut of the 1512 HCWs who completed the study questionnaire—of which 62.4% were women—70% were willing to receive COVID-19 vaccines. A logistic regression analysis revealed that male HCWs (ORa = 1.551, 95% CI: 1.122–2.144), HCWs who believe in vaccine safety (ORa = 2.151; 95% CI: 1.708–2.708), HCWs who believe that COVID vaccines are the most likely way to stop the pandemic (ORa = 1.539; 95% CI: 1.259–1.881), and HCWs who rely on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for COVID 19 updates (ORa = 1.505, 95% CI: 1.125–2.013) were significantly associated with reporting a willingness to be vaccinated. However, HCWs who believed that the vaccines were rushed without evidence-informed testing were found to be 60% less inclined to accept COVID-19 vaccines (ORa = 0.394, 95% CI: 0.298–0.522).ConclusionMost HCWs are willing to receive COVID-19 vaccines once they are available; the satisfactoriness of COVID-19 vaccination among HCWs is crucial because health professionals’ knowledge and confidence toward vaccines are important determining factors for not only their own vaccine acceptance but also recommendation for such vaccines to their patients.
Highlights
On December 31, 2019, a cluster of pneumonia cases was reported in Wuhan city, Hubei Province, China, and linked to a wet seafood market
health care workers (HCWs) confidence in COVID-19 vaccines revealed that male HCWs (ORa = 1.551, 95% CI: 1.122–2.144), HCWs who believe in vaccine safety (ORa = 2.151; 95% CI: 1.708–2.708), HCWs who believe that COVID vaccines are the most likely way to stop the pandemic (ORa = 1.539; 95% CI: 1.259–1.881), and HCWs who rely on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for COVID 19 updates (ORa = 1.505, 95% CI: 1.125–2.013) were significantly associated with reporting a willingness to be vaccinated
HCWs who believed that the vaccines were rushed without evidence-informed testing were found to be 60% less inclined to accept COVID-19 vaccines (ORa = 0.394, 95% CI: 0.298–0.522)
Summary
On December 31, 2019, a cluster of pneumonia cases was reported in Wuhan city, Hubei Province, China, and linked to a wet seafood market. A new coronavirus was identified as the etiological agent and named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) [1,2,3]. As of November 29, 2020, COVID-19 had been reported globally in 191 countries, with 62,311,483 laboratory confirmed cases causing 1,453,467 deaths [5]. The numbers increased to 222,406,582 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and of those, there were 4,592,934 deaths as of September 9, 2021 [6]. Efforts to eliminate SARS-CoV-2 would be unsuccessful in the long term, as they are constantly challenged by the emergence of new susceptible hosts and waning immunity in previously infected individuals. The durability of SARS-CoV-2 immunity is not yet fully established [7], but the abovementioned emergence will promote virus survival; similar to other infectious pathogens, SARS-CoV-2 is likely to circulate in the human population for many years to come [8]
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