Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccine among the Healthcare Workers in the Eastern Cape, South Africa: A Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: This study assesses the perceptions and acceptance of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccination. It also examines its influencing factors among the healthcare workers (HCWs) in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Methods: In this cross-sectional study performed in November and December 2020, a total of 1308 HCWs from two large academic hospitals participated in the Eastern Cape Healthcare Workers Acquisition of SARS-CoV-2 (ECHAS) study. Validated measures of vaccine hesitancy were explored using a questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to identify the determinants of vaccine hesitancy. Results: The majority were nurses (45.2%), and at risk for unfavourable Covid-19 outcome, due to obesity (62.9%) and having direct contact with individuals confirmed to have Covid-19 (77.1%). The overall acceptance of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine was 90.1%, which differed significantly by level of education. Individuals with lower educational attainment (primary and secondary education) and those with prior vaccine refusal were less likely to accept the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. However, positive perceptions about the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine were independently associated with vaccine acceptance. Conclusions: The high level of acceptance of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine is reassuring; however, HCWs with a lower level of education and those with prior vaccine refusal should be targeted for further engagements to address their concerns and fears.

Factors Associated with Healthcare Workers’ (HCWs) Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccinations and Indications of a Role Model towards Population Vaccinations from a Cross-Sectional Survey in Greece, May 2021

“…Factors including sex or older age which may influence an individual’s perceived risk of COVID-19 (and hence need for vaccination) were not associated with vaccine acceptance in our study. This finding is supported by another survey in South Africa [ 20 ]. However, several studies reported higher vaccine acceptance by males and older HCWs [ 12 , 13 , 21 ].…”

COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptability and Its Determinants in Mozambique: An Online Survey

“…Acceptability was relatively high among healthcare workers (86.6%) but significantly lower in the general population (64.8%). Such higher vaccine acceptance among healthcare workers was also reported in a recent survey in Somalia [ 8 ] and the Eastern Cape in South Africa [ 9 ], but surprisingly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), healthcare workers were less willing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine [ 10 ]. In a recent systematic review of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy worldwide, in 62% of the surveys among the general public, the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination was at least 70% [ 11 ].…”

“…Indeed, individuals without access to the internet (i.e., people with less education and belonging to lower social classes) did not have the opportunity to participate in the survey. Many studies have documented that a lower level of education was associated with lower vaccine acceptance [ 9 , 13 , 17 , 27 , 28 , 29 ]. Moreover, a large proportion of the respondents were healthcare workers.…”

Attitudes, acceptance and hesitancy among the general population worldwide to receive the COVID-19 vaccines and their contributing factors: A systematic review

“…Seventeen studies were conducted in Africa. The lowest vaccine acceptance rate was observed in Congo [96] (27.7%), while the highest was reported by a study conducted in South Africa (91% of healthcare workers would accept vaccination) [97] . Data from Nigeria from March to September 2020 show a positive, increasing trend in vaccine acceptance among this population.…”

“…Themes identified to contribute to high hesitancy were most prominently associated with certain socio-demographic variables. Such variables included income (e.g., being low-income population), age (e.g., younger patients were more hesitant, partially as they perceived being at lower risk compared to elders [ 69 , 74 , 79 , 80 , 96 , 149 ]), education (e.g., having a lower education degree [ 69 , 71 , 96 , 97 , 101 , 102 , 146 , 148 , 150 , 152 ]), area of residence (e.g., those in rural areas were more hesitant [ 69 , 101 , 149 ]), reported race and/or ethnicity (e.g., those who identified as minorities [ 38 , [69] , [70] , [71] , 75 , 77 , 78 , 103 , 149 , 151 ]). Interestingly, studies that included specific populations (such as patients with different health conditions) generally observed a lower intention to vaccinate among them compared with the general population.…”