Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy among nurses at the university teaching hospitals’ emergency, adult, and women and new born hospitals in Lusaka, Zambia

Abstract

Introduction: Vaccination of health care providers against Corona Virus Disease 2019 ensures an adequate workforce to care for infected patients yet many of them are hesitating to acquire the vaccine. Information contributing to vaccine hesitancy helps hospital management and relevant authorities to set up strategies that can help reduce COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and resistance among nurses and other health workers. Purpose: To identify factors associated with Covid-19 vaccination hesitancy among nurses working at UTHs' Emergency, Adult, Women, and New Born Hospitals in Lusaka, Zambia. Results: Vaccine hesitancy among nurses was found to be at 62.0%. 189 participants had not received that COVID19 vaccine. Results from Chi-square and Fisher’s exact test showed decision to get a COVID-19 vaccination was significantly influenced by several factors, including a history of being infected with COVID-19, a history of a family member being infected with COVID-19, the level of knowledge concerning COVID-19, perceived susceptibility , perceived severity, perceived benefits, and perceived barriers. In the multivariable analysis, nurses with adequate knowledge about COVID-19 had over 50% lower odds of getting the vaccine (aOR = 0.50, 95% CI = 0.24, 1.04, P = 0.023) compared to their counterparts. Those who perceived more barriers had over 99% lower odds of getting vaccinated (aOR = 0.01, 95% CI = 0.19, 0.77, P = 0.006) compared to their counterparts. Nurses with family members who were infected with COVID-19 had over 99% lower odds of getting vaccinated (aOR = 0.003, 95% CI = 0.00, 0.02, P = 0.22) compared to their counterparts. It was also revealed that female nurses had higher odds of getting vaccinated by a factor of 1.29 compared to male nurses. Conclusion: The study highlights substantial vaccine hesitancy among nurses at The University Teaching Hospitals' Emergency, Adult, And Women and New Born Hospitals in Lusaka, Zambia despite their heightened risk of infection. The influence of perceived susceptibility, severity and benefits regarding the vaccine cannot be ignored on the successful adoption and acceptance of the vaccine by the nurses. Therefore this demands for effective communication strategies that not only spotlight personal protection but also the broader societal benefits, aligning with healthcare professionals' collective responsibility in managing and mitigating the impact of the pandemic.