Abstract
(1) Background: vaccination of healthcare workers (HCWs) against seasonal influenza is considered the most effective way to protect HCWs, ensure patient’s safety and to maintain essential health care services during influenza epidemics. With the present study we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of incremental bundles of measures implemented during the last three flu campaigns and to assess the attitudes towards influenza vaccination and a potential vaccine against COVID-19 among HCWs, in a large university hospital in Pisa, Italy. (2) Methods: We described measures implemented during 2018/2019, 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 and assessed their impact on flu vaccine coverage (VC) among employees and residents in Pisa university hospital. We considered sex, profession and ward to investigate differences in uptake. In addition, in 2020 a survey was developed and distributed to all employees to evaluate flu and COVID-19 vaccines attitudes. (3) Results: during the 2018/19 and 2019/20 flu campaigns the overall VC rate among HCWs was, respectively, 10.2% and 11.9%. In 2020/21 the overall VC rate jumped to 39.3% (+ 230.6%). Results from the survey indicated a more positive attitude towards flu vaccine as compared to COVID-19 vaccines among the 10.6% of the staff members who responded to the survey. In addition, 70.97% of HCWs totally agreed that being vaccinated against influenza would be more important than the previous years because of COVID-19 emergency. (4) Conclusions: a significant increase in VC was observed in 2020/21, especially among those sub-groups with consistently lower uptake in previous years. The COVID-19 pandemic positively influenced flu vaccination uptake during the 2020/21 season.
Highlights
Influenza represents a serious public health issue, both in clinical, epidemiological and socio-economic terms
During the 2018–2019 vaccination campaign there were 5721 healthcare workers (HCWs) working at the Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana (AOUP); 3968 (69.4%) were females
According to the multivariate logistic regression model, HCWs aged more than 60 had a higher likelihood (OR: 1.65–95% CI: 1.07–2.55) of having received the immunization when compared with younger HCWs
Summary
Influenza represents a serious public health issue, both in clinical, epidemiological and socio-economic terms. It is responsible for a significant burden of morbidity and mortality, and high direct and indirect costs, deriving from hospitalization and absenteeism at work [1]. Two systematic reviews estimated a flu VC close to 13% for nurses [9] and to 23% for physicians [10] Such low levels of vaccination coverage among HCWs could be at least partly attributed to the increasing phenomenon of vaccine hesitancy (VH), defined as a delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite availability of vaccination services [11]. Multiple studies have highlighted that despite being reported as the main source of vaccine information for the public [13], HCWs can be hesitant themselves [11]
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