Acceptability of COVID-19 Vaccination among Greek Health Professionals

Health Care Workers are at the front line of the fight against Covid-19. The aim of this study was to evaluate the acceptability of vaccination against COVID-19 among health professionals (physicians, dentists, pharmacists) two weeks prior to the start of the Greek vaccination campaign against COVID-19. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted over the period 15–22 December 2020 in 340 health professionals in Central Greece. We found a high level of acceptance for COVID-19 vaccine (78.5%) and a high vaccination coverage for the influenza vaccine (74%). Age > 45 years (OR = 2.01; 95% C.I. = 2.01−4.3), absence of fear over vaccine safety (OR = 4.09; 95% C.I. = 1.36–12.3), and information received from the Greek public health authorities (OR = 11.14; 95% C.I. = 5.48–22.6), were factors independently associated with the likelihood of COVID-19 vaccination acceptance. Our study indicates a high level of the COVID-19 vaccination acceptance among physicians, dentists and pharmacists. Nevertheless, several interventions can be implemented to increase acceptance of vaccine among health-care workers (HCWs) and could be especially directed at younger and vaccine-hesitant health care workers due to fear of vaccine side-effects. Last, our results provide some evidence that receiving vaccine-related information from the Greek Center for Diseases Control (E.O.D.Y.) could reduce the drivers of hesitancy and enhance the acceptability of COVID-19 vaccination.

Download Full-text

Vaccination willingness for COVID-19 among health care workers in Switzerland

10.1101/2021.07.04.21255203 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kathrin Zuercher ◽

Catrina Mugglin ◽

Matthias Egger ◽

Sandro Mueller ◽

Michael Fluri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Vaccination Campaign ◽

Vaccine Safety ◽

Willingness To Accept ◽

Medical Doctors ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Web Based ◽

Care Workers ◽

Vaccination Hesitancy

Aims of the study: Vaccination is regarded as the most promising response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We assessed opinions towards COVID-19 vaccination, willingness to be vaccinated, and reasons for vaccination hesitancy among health care workers (HCWs). Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, web-based survey among 3,793 HCWs in December 2020 in the Canton of Solothurn, Switzerland, before the start of the national COVID-19 vaccination campaign. Results: Median age was 43 years (interquartile range [IQR] 31-53), 2,841 were female (74.9%). 1,511 HCWs (39.8%) reported willingness to accept vaccination, while 1,114 (29.4%) were unsure, and 1,168 (30.8%) would decline vaccination. Among medical doctors, 76.1% were willing, while only 27.8% of nurses expressed willingness. Among 1,168 HCWs who would decline vaccination, 1,073 (91.9%) expressed concerns about vaccine safety and side effects. The willingness of HCWs to be vaccinated was associated with older age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.97, 95%Cl 1.71-2.27) and having been vaccinated for influenza this year (aOR 2.70, 95%Cl 2.20-3.31). HCWs who reported a lack of confidence in government were less likely to be willing to be vaccinated (aOR 0.58, 95%Cl 0.40-0.84), and women were less willing to be vaccinated than men (OR 0.33 (0.28-0.38). Conclusion: Less than half of HCWs reported willingness to be vaccinated before the campaign start, but proportions varied greatly depending on the profession and workplace. Strategies with clear and objective messages that particularly address the concerns of HCWs are needed if their willingness to be vaccinated is to be increased.

Download Full-text

COVID-19 vaccination acceptance among healthcare workers in Germany

10.1101/2021.04.20.21255794 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Christopher Holzmann-Littig ◽

Matthias Christoph Braunisch ◽

Peter Kranke ◽

Maria Popp ◽

Christian Seeber ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Online Survey ◽

Vaccination Campaign ◽

Knowledge Test ◽

Health Politics ◽

Care Workers ◽

Vaccination Acceptance ◽

Vaccination Hesitancy

AbstractBackgroundVaccination hesitancy is a serious threat to achieve herd immunity in a global and rapidly changing pandemic situation. Health care workers play a key role in the treatment of patients with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and in promoting vaccination in the general population. The aim of the study was to provide data on COVID-19 vaccination acceptance and barriers among healthcare workers in Germany to support health policymakers choosing specific vaccination campaign strategies.MethodsAn online survey was conducted among health care workers in Germany in February 2021. The survey included 55 items on demographics, previous vaccination behavior, trust in vaccines, physicians, pharma industry, and health politics as well as fear of adverse effects, assumptions on disease consequences, knowledge about vaccines, information seeking behavior and a short COVID-19 vaccine knowledge test.ResultsA total of 4500 surveys could be analyzed. The overall vaccination acceptance was 91.7%. The age group ≤20 years showed the lowest vaccination acceptance of all age groups. Regarding professional groups, residents showed the highest vaccination acceptance. Main factors for vaccination hesitancy were lack of trust in authorities and pharmaceutical companies. Personal and professional environment influenced the attitude towards a vaccination too. Participants with vaccination hesitancy were more likely to obtain information about COVID-19 vaccines via messenger services or online video platforms and underperformed in the knowledge test.ConclusionsIn conclusion, we found a high acceptance rate amongst German health care workers. Furthermore, several factors associated with vaccination hesitancy were identified which could be targeted in vaccination campaigns.

Download Full-text

COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance in Azuay Province, Ecuador: A Cross-Sectional Online Survey

Vaccines ◽

10.3390/vaccines9060678 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. 678

Author(s):

Julio Jaramillo-Monge ◽

Michael Obimpeh ◽

Bernardo Vega ◽

David Acurio ◽

Annelies Boven ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Online Survey ◽

Vaccination Campaign ◽

Postgraduate Education ◽

Effective Vaccine ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Lower Education Level ◽

Vaccination Acceptance ◽

History Of ◽

High Level

We investigated the COVID-19 vaccination acceptance level in Azuay province, Ecuador through an online survey from 12th to 26th February (before the start of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Ecuador). Overall, 1219 respondents participated in the survey. The mean age was 32 ± 13 years; 693 participants (57%) were female. In total, 1109 (91%) of the participants indicated they were willing to be vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine, if the vaccine is at least 95% effective; 835 (68.5%) if it is 90% effective and 493 (40.5%) if it is 70% effective; 676 (55.5%) participants indicated they feared side effects and 237 (19.4%) thought the vaccine was not effective. Older age, having had a postgraduate education, a history of a negative COVID-19 test, a high level of worry of contracting COVID-19, believing that COVID-19 infection can be prevented with a vaccine and understanding there is currently an effective vaccine against COVID-19 were associated with higher vaccination acceptance. A vaccination education campaign will be needed to increase the knowledge of Ecuadorians about the COVID-19 vaccine and to increase their trust in the vaccine. People with a lower education level and living in rural areas may need to be targeted during such a campaign.

Download Full-text

Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccination Willingness among Health Care Workers: A Quick Online Survey in India

Korean Journal of Family Medicine ◽

10.4082/kjfm.21.0071 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 42 (6) ◽

pp. 445-452

Author(s):

Rajesh Kumar ◽

Kalpana Beniwal ◽

Yogesh Bahurupi ◽

Ravi Kant ◽

Mukesh Bairwa

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Perceived Risk ◽

Online Survey ◽

Vaccine Safety ◽

Economic Effects ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Multinomial Regression ◽

Chi Square ◽

Care Workers

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a large number of deaths along with severe socio-economic effects. The vaccine is considered to be the last hope to control viral transmission. This study aimed to explore the determinants of health care workers’ (HCWs) willingness to take the COVID-19 vaccination.Methods: A structured, pre-validated, and pre-tested questionnaire was administered online to 599 HCWs including physicians, residents, and nurses from different types of healthcare set-ups across India. Information was collected regarding vaccine acceptability, attitude toward vaccination, and reasons for hesitancy. The chi-square test, followed by multinomial regression analysis, was applied to determine the factors associated with HCWs’ vaccination willingness.Results: It was found that 73 % (n=437) of HCWs were willing to accept the vaccines, while 10.85% (n=65) refused and 16.2% (n=96) needed more time to decide. Gender (P<0.001), occupation (P=0.040), working as front-line workers (P=0.008), vaccine manufacturing country preferences (P<0.001), and perceived risk of catching COVID-19 in the next 6 months (P=0.005) had a significant association with intent to receive vaccination (the response were “yes” vs. “no” and “not sure”). The reasons for vaccine hesitancy were vaccine safety and efficacy concerns, antivaccine attitude and beliefs, personal choice, and not wanting to take a vaccine before others.Conclusion: The majority of HCWs agreed to take COVID-19 vaccines once available. Nevertheless, providing support to manage evolving vaccine environments will help change the perception of HCWs who refuse or are reluctant to take the vaccines.

Download Full-text

Acceptability of COVID-19 vaccination among health care workers in Ghana

10.1101/2021.03.11.21253374 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Martin Wiredu Agyekum ◽

Grace Frempong Afrifa-Anane ◽

Frank Kyei-Arthur ◽

Bright Addo

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Side Effects ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Online Survey ◽

Binary Logistic Regression ◽

Vaccine Uptake ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Adverse Side Effects ◽

Care Workers ◽

The Government

The acceptance or otherwise of the COVID-19 vaccine by health care workers can influence the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines among the general population as they are a reliable source of health information. In this study, we sought to determine the acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines among health care workers in Ghana. Using a cross-sectional design, we collected data from 234 health care workers through a self-administered online survey from 16 January to 15 February 2021. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analyses using binary logistic regression were performed using STATA version 15. The results showed that 39.3% of health care workers had the intention of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Factors such as sex, category of health care workers, relative being diagnosed with COVID-19, and trust in the accuracy of the measures taken by the government in the fight against COVID-19 proved to be significant predictors of the acceptability of the COVID-19 vaccine. Concerns about the safety of vaccines and the adverse side effects of the vaccine were identified as the main reasons why health care workers would decline uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine in Ghana. The self-reported low intention of health care workers to accept the COVID-19 vaccine in Ghana requires the urgent call of the Government of Ghana and other stakeholders to critically address health care workers' concerns about the safety and adverse side effects of COVID-19 vaccines, as this would increase vaccine uptake. Interventions must also take into consideration sex and the category of health care workers to achieve the desired results. Keywords: COVID-19, Vaccines, Vaccine acceptance, Health care workers, Ghana

Download Full-text

Acceptability of COVID-19 Vaccination among Health Care Workers in Ghana

Advances in Public Health ◽

10.1155/2021/9998176 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Martin Wiredu Agyekum ◽

Grace Frempong Afrifa-Anane ◽

Frank Kyei-Arthur ◽

Bright Addo

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Side Effects ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Online Survey ◽

Vaccine Uptake ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Adverse Side Effects ◽

Care Workers ◽

The Government ◽

N 93

Because health care workers are a reliable source of health information, their acceptance or rejection of COVID-19 vaccines can influence the general population's uptake of COVID-19 vaccines. In this study, we sought to determine the acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines among health care workers in Ghana. Using a cross-sectional design, we collected data from 234 health care workers through a self-administered online survey from 16 January to 15 February 2021. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were performed using STATA version 15. The findings revealed that 39.3% (n = 92) of health care workers intended to receive the COVID-19 vaccines. Factors such as sex (AOR = 0.451; CI 95% 0.240–0.845; p = 0.013 ), category of health care workers (AOR = 2.851; 95 CI%: 1.097–7.405; p = 0.031 ), relative being diagnosed with COVID-19 (AOR = 0.369; CI 95% 0.145–0.941; p = 0.037 ), and trust in the accuracy of the measures taken by the government in the fight against COVID-19 (AOR = 2.768; CI 95%: 1.365–5.616; p = 0.005 ) proved to be significant predictors of the acceptability of the COVID-19 vaccine. Concerns about the safety of vaccines (n = 93, 65.5%) and the adverse side effects of the vaccines (n = 23, 14.8%) were identified as the main reasons why health care workers would decline uptake of COVID-19 vaccines in Ghana. The self-reported low intention of health care workers in Ghana to accept COVID-19 vaccines necessitates an urgent call from the Government of Ghana and other stakeholders to address health care workers' concerns about the safety and adverse side effects of COVID-19 vaccines, as this would increase vaccine uptake. Interventions must also take into consideration sex and the category of health care workers to achieve the desired results.

Download Full-text

COVID-19 vaccination and breakthrough infections among healthcare workers: an online survey

International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health ◽

10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20214284 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (11) ◽

pp. 5435

Author(s):

Ramesh Masthi ◽

Gowri Hebbar

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Online Survey ◽

Severe Disease ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Appropriate Behavior ◽

Frontline Workers ◽

Care Workers

Background: COVID-19 vaccinations were started in India among health care workers in January, 2021. These vaccinations provide protective immunity against the infection but may not completely exclude the possibility of contracting the infection. The objective was to assess the risk of contracting COVID-19 disease following vaccination; to describe the adherence to COVID appropriate behavior by vaccinated individuals.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online questionnaire. The subjects selected were health care workers, medical students and other frontline workers. The sample size was 393. The risk of COVID-19 following vaccination was assessed against various factors like age, type of vaccination, status of vaccination, pre-existing comorbidities etc.Results: Out of the 393 vaccinated subjects, 57 (14.5%) acquired COVID-19 breakthrough infection. Majority of these individuals (75.4%) experienced mild symptoms. All vaccinated individuals were protected from severe COVID-19 disease. Most vaccinated individuals continued to strictly adhere to COVID appropriate behavior i.e., masks (97.0% and 98.0%), sanitized hands (93.0% and 98.0%) and maintain social distanced (91.6% and 86%) in both fully and partially vaccinated groups following vaccination.Conclusions: One tenth of the subjects were infected with COVID-19 following vaccination. Most experienced mild symptoms and risk of severe disease was significantly reduced. There was no significant association between the type of vaccine administered and risk of infection.

Download Full-text

Frontline Health Care Workers’ Mental Workload During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1177/1010539521997257 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 101053952199725

Author(s):

Meichen Du ◽

Kaili Hu

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Mental Workload ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Related Factors ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Mental Demand ◽

Care Workers ◽

Novel Coronavirus ◽

High Level

Workload is an essential factor affecting the performance of health care workers (HCWs). High level of mental workload increased their risks of insomnia, anxiety, and depression. This study committed to investigate frontline HCWs’ mental workload and analyze its influencing factors during the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. A total of 802 frontline HCWs completed the online questionnaires. Their total mental workload score was 69.7 ± 16.4. Frontline HCWs were satisfied with their performance (4.0 ± 3.3) and showed a low level of frustration (8.3 ± 5.7). The most important dimensions of mental workload were “effort” (16.4 ± 13.7), “physical demand” (15.7 ± 4.7), and “mental demand” (12.9 ± 5.2). Frontline nurses and HCWs who have higher education level, longer working years, and higher professional title perceived higher mental workload scores ( P < .05). In conclusion, frontline HCWs’ mental workload was not high as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. They have made tremendous efforts and dedication to caring for COVID-19 patients. Job-related factors, some of which can be eliminated by proper management skills, increased frontline HCWs mental workload.

Download Full-text

COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, barriers and facilitators among healthcare workers in Pakistan

10.21203/rs.3.rs-431543/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Khalid Rehman ◽

Muhammad Hakim ◽

Nauman Arif ◽

Siraj Ul Islam ◽

Abdul Saboor ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Vaccination Campaign ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Barriers And Facilitators ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Vaccination Programs ◽

Validated Questionnaire ◽

Care Workers

Abstract Background Vaccines are one of the main cornerstones in the global initiatives to control the COVID-19 pandemic. National vaccination programs largely depend on vaccine availability and acceptance by a large proportion of the population to confer a measurable impact on SARS-CoV-2 transmission. In this study we determine the acceptance, barriers and facilitators of COVID-19 vaccination amongst healthcare workers (HCWs) in Pakistan Methods A structured and validated questionnaire was used in an online cross-sectional study. Health care workers residing in Pakistan were invited between 31st January to 9th February to participate in this survey. Results A total of 436 health-care workers took part in this survey and among those 327 (75%) were doctors. 260 (60%) health-care workers indicated that they would accept vaccination against COVID-19. 308 (71%) were completely confident or confident in using USA, UK manufactured COVID-19 vaccine. The acceptance concerning a potential Chinese vaccine was 267 (61%). 292 (67%) strongly agreed or agreed that they are concerned about the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccination while the concerns for safety were 293 (67%). Conclusions About a third of HCWs, a group generally biased towards early acceptance of health interventions – expressed concerns or refusal of vaccination against COVID-19 in this survey. A dedicated communication plan and information campaign addressing the issues of efficacy, quality, logistics and religious concerns is needed to address these hurdles to allow for a successful national vaccination campaign.

Download Full-text

Anxiety, Depression and Functional impairment during the COVID-19 Pandemic among Health Care Workers: A Cross Sectional Online Survey

10.21203/rs.3.rs-66245/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Rajan Shrestha ◽

Bijay Khatri ◽

Suman Ranjitkar ◽

Santoshi Adhikari ◽

Prasanta Poudyal

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Functional Impairment ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Online Survey ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Disability Score ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Care Workers

Abstract BackgroundCOVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered, with more than 24 million cases worldwide. Geometrically increasing numbers of cases and deaths from COVID 19 in the world, both medical staff and the public have been experiencing psychological problems, which can cause disability and functional impairment of the individual. This study aimed to determine the burden of stress anxiety and depression among health care workers.MethodologyA hospital-based cross-sectional study was carried out among all the employees of Hospital for Children Eye ENT and Rehabilitation Services Bhaktapur during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown using an online questionnaire. The tools used were adopted from Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS) Nepali version and WHO Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS2.0).ResultsThe mean age (SD) of the participants (n=86) was 32.53 (7.92) years. Male and female participants were equal in number. The point prevalence of anxiety and depression was 25.6% and 14.0%, respectively. Females had a higher prevalence of both anxiety (39.5% vs 11.6%, p<0.01) and depression (18.6% vs 9.3%, p=0.351). Clinical and non-clinical staff both had a higher prevalence of both anxiety (31.0% and 20.5%, p=0.265) and depression (16.7% and 11.4%, p=0.478). Mean disability score (WHODAS 2.0) among all participants and participants with anxiety and depression was 19.47 (95% CI: 18.13-20.80), 21.27 (95% CI: 18.08-24.46) and 19.92 (15.28-24.56), respectively.ConclusionAnxiety and depression during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown were highly prevalent both in clinical and non-clinical employees, without causing significant functional impairment among health care workers.

Download Full-text