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ImportanceHealthcare workers (HCW) are slated to be early recipients of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines due to increased risk of exposure to patients with COVID-19, and will be tasked with administering approved vaccines to the general population. As lynchpins of the vaccination effort, HCWs’ opinions of a vaccine’s safety and efficacy may affect both public perception and uptake of the vaccine. Therefore, it is crucial to understand and address potential hesitancy prior to vaccine administration.ObjectiveTo understand healthcare workers’ attitudes about vaccine safety, efficacy, and acceptability in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, including acceptance of a novel coronavirus vaccine.Design, Setting, ParticipantsA cross-sectional survey was distributed to participants enrolled in a longitudinal cohort study surveilling SARS-CoV-2 infection among 1,093 volunteer sampled University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Health System employees. Surveys were completed online between September 24 and October 16, 2020. In total, 609 participants completed this supplemental survey.ResultsWe averaged a 9-statement Likert scale matrix scored from 1 (“strongly disagree”) to 5 (“strongly agree”) and found respondents overwhelmingly confident about vaccine safety (4.47); effectiveness (4.44); importance, self-protection, and community health (4.67). Notably, 47.3% of respondents reported unwillingness to participate in a coronavirus vaccine trial, and most (66.5%) intend to delay vaccination. The odds of reporting intent to delay coronavirus vaccine uptake were 4.15 times higher among nurses, 2.45 times higher among other personnel with patient contact roles, and 2.15 times higher among those without patient contact compared to doctors. Evolving SARS-CoV-2 science (76.0%), current political climate (57.6%), and fast-tracked vaccine development timeline (83.4%) were cited as primary variables impacting HCW decisions to undergo vaccination. Of note, these results were obtained prior to release of Phase III data from companies manufacturing vaccines in the U.S.Conclusions and RelevanceDespite overall confidence in vaccines, a majority of HCW expressed concerns over a novel coronavirus vaccine. A large proportion plan to delay vaccine uptake due to concerns about expedited development, emerging scientific discoveries, and the political climate. Forthcoming vaccination campaigns must address these unique points of coronavirus vaccine hesitancy in order to achieve adequate vaccine coverage.

Background Sentiments of vaccine hesitancy and distrust in public health institutions have complicated the government-led COVID-19 vaccine control strategy in the United States. As the first to receive the vaccine, COVID-19 vaccine attitudes among front line workers are consequential for COVID-19 control and public opinion of the vaccine. Methods This study employed a repeated cross-sectional survey administered at three time points between September 24 – February 6, 2021 to a cohort of employees of University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Health and the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD). The primary outcome of interest was COVID-19 vaccination intent and vaccine uptake. Results Confidence in COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine uptake rose significantly over time. At Survey 1, confidence in vaccine protection was 46.4% among healthcare workers (HCW) and 34.6% among first responders (FR); by Survey 3, this had risen to 90.0% and 75.7%, respectively. At Survey 1, about one-third of participants intended to receive a vaccine as soon as possible. By Survey 3, 96.0% of HCW and 87.5% of FR had received a COVID-19 vaccine. Conclusions Attitudes towards vaccine uptake increased over the study period, likely a result of increased public confidence in COVID-19 vaccines, targeted communications, a COVID-19 winter surge in LA County, and ease of access from employer-sponsored vaccine distribution.