Abstract
COVID-19 vaccination raises numerous concerns among the public, and also among medical personnel including nurses. As nurses play a crucial role in the process of vaccination, it is important to recognize the attitudes of students of nursing, nurses in spe, toward COVID-19 vaccination, as well as to define the factors influencing students’ pro-vaccine choices. The study was conducted between March and April 2021 at all medical universities in Poland educating nurses in spe. The study included 793 first-degree students from 12 universities. The results revealed that the vast majority of students of nursing (77.2%) were vaccinated against COVID-19, as 61.2% received an mRNA vaccine and 16% a viral vector vaccine. Every other person in the non-vaccinated group declared their intention to get a vaccination. A trend was observed whereby people co-living with persons from the risk group, who are at risk of a severe form of COVID-19, showed greater willingness to get a vaccine. The study results identified the role of universities in increasing the vaccination rate among students, both in terms of education about vaccinations and in shaping pro-vaccine attitudes among students, as well as organizing vaccinations on university campuses to facilitate the process.
Highlights
It has been accepted worldwide that in the absence of an effective treatment for the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the consequential COVID-19, only the rapid vaccination of an adequate number of people and the establishment of herd immunity will inhibit the spread of consecutive waves of infection, limit the spread of the pandemic, and increase the chance of its termination [1]
Aim of the Study The purpose of this study was to describe the levels and sources of knowledge that undergraduate students of nursing possess, and their attitudes toward and willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine since it became available in Poland (January 2021)
793 Polish undergraduate nursing students participated in this study
Summary
It has been accepted worldwide that in the absence of an effective treatment for the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the consequential COVID-19, only the rapid vaccination of an adequate number of people and the establishment of herd immunity will inhibit the spread of consecutive waves of infection, limit the spread of the pandemic, and increase the chance of its termination [1]. The first COVID-19 vaccination approved for regular use was BNT162b2 (Comirnaty®, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; BioNTech/Pfizer). It was approved by the National Health Service of Great Britain on 7 December 2020 [2]. According to the most recent data (4 July 2021), 884,440,000 people have been fully vaccinated worldwide [4], mostly in China and the USA. As of 4 July 2021, 17,114,524 people had received their first dose, and 12,909,625 Poles were fully vaccinated [5]
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