COVID-19 vaccine coverage, concerns, and preferences among Chinese ICU clinicians: a nationwide online survey

Abstract

s Background Clinicians in intensive care units (ICU) have been prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination. We aim to understand reasons behind vaccination refusal, and assess preferences for COVID-19 vaccines among Chinese ICU clinicians. Research design and methods ICU clinicians throughout China’s mainland were contacted to participate in an online survey. We compared concerns by vaccination status, and through a discrete choice experiment (DCE) assessed preferences for vaccines in terms of effectiveness, risk of adverse reactions, duration of immunity, and whether or not coworkers have been vaccinated. Results Among 11,951 ICU respondents from 252 prefecture-level regions, vaccination coverage was 75.4%, with an additional 9.2% not vaccinated but intending to, and 16.1% not vaccinated and not intending to. ICU clinicians not intending to be vaccinated significantly expressed more concerns about the speed of vaccine development (30.1%) and adverse reactions (65.9%). In the DCE, the only significant difference in preferences of a COVID-19 vaccine was for safety, with those not intending having a stronger preference for a vaccine with fewer adverse reactions (OR=4.49), compared to those already vaccinated (OR=2.90) or those intending to vaccinate (OR=3.46). Conclusion Increasing vaccination coverage among Chinese ICU clinicians will require strong norms surrounding vaccination and transparency about safety information.