COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Uptake among Nursing Staff during an Active Vaccine Rollout.

Lynn M Baniak,Ellesha E Mccray,Faith S Luyster,Claire A Raible,Patrick J Strollo

doi:10.3390/vaccines9080858

Lynn M Baniak, Ellesha E Mccray + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9080858

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Abstract

Even with the availability of COVID-19 vaccines, factors associated with vaccine hesitancy and uptake among nurses are unknown. This study evaluated COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and uptake of nursing staff during one of the first COVID-19 vaccine rollouts in the United States. A cross-sectional survey was conducted during February 2021 among nursing staff working in a large medical center in central United States. There were 276 respondents; 81.9% of participants were willing to receive the vaccine during the initial rollout, 11.2% were hesitant, and only 5.1% were unwilling. The hesitant group was likely to report having inadequate information to make an informed decision about whether to receive the vaccine (45.2%) and about vaccine expectations (32.3%). The majority (83.3%) received at least one dose of the vaccine. Having greater than 10 years’ work experience (OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.16–7.9) and confidence in vaccine safety (OR 7.78, 95% CI 4.49–13.5) were significantly associated with vaccine uptake. While our study indicates higher vaccine uptake among nursing staff during an active vaccine rollout, there remains sustained hesitancy and unwillingness to uptake. For those hesitant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, public health efforts to provide more data on side effects and efficacy may help increase vaccine uptake.

Highlights

Confidence in vaccine safety and greater than 10 years of work experience were associated with vaccine uptake
Unlike Fisher (2020) [2] who surveyed the general population, we found no association between vaccine hesitancy and perceived risk for COVID-19 suggesting unique attributes of nursing staff compared to the general population and the potential need for a personalized approach to vaccine campaigns
Our study is the first to examine COVID-19 vaccine uptake exclusively in nursing staff, a population that plays a significant role in combatting COVID-19

Summary

Introduction

COVID-19 is a significant public health crisis, with over 29 million cases and half a million deaths in the United States [1]. Mitigation strategies including social distancing, wearing a face covering, travel bans, complete or partial lockdowns, and other non-pharmacological interventions have been implemented to slow the rapid spread of COVID-19. Despite these effective strategies, recurrence of additional waves of infection have occurred. Efficacious vaccines are available and the goal of herd immunity through vaccination along with exposure is at the forefront of achieving a reduction in hospitalizations and deaths and enabling a return to normalcy

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