COVID-19 vaccination acceptance among healthcare workers in Germany

Abstract

BackgroundVaccination 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.

COVID-19 Vaccine Intent Among Health Care Professionals of Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Barbados

“…Studies conducted globally on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among HCPs have reported wide variations in vaccine hesitancy ranging from 8.3% to 72.4%. 4,8,14,15,[30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39] Notably, some studies were conducted before vaccines were approved and/or rolled out, 15 and HCPs in some studies had already received vaccines. 32 Our study was conducted at the start of the national vaccine campaign in Barbados began in February 2021.…”

“…4,8,14,15,[30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39] Notably, some studies were conducted before vaccines were approved and/or rolled out, 15 and HCPs in some studies had already received vaccines. 32 Our study was conducted at the start of the national vaccine campaign in Barbados began in February 2021. The vaccine hesitancy we report is consistent with some studies conducted…”

“…A meta-analytic paper reviewed studies conducted from June to October 2020 with large nationally representative samples (n ≥ 1000 each) from 13 countries (n = 58,656) and found that vaccine acceptance decreased and vaccination hesitancy increased as the pandemic progressed. 42 Holzmann-Littig et al 32 note that vaccine hesitancy in healthcare workers is multifactorial and, therefore, that comparisons should be done cautiously as acceptance was defined differently, measured on different scales, using different questionnaires with different numbers of items asked in different countries and time periods. Moreover, vaccine acceptance may change during the pandemic because of vaccine campaigns and peer influence from those who were already vaccinated.…”

“…Moreover, vaccine acceptance may change during the pandemic because of vaccine campaigns and peer influence from those who were already vaccinated. 32 The phenomenon of vaccine hesitancy among healthcare providers needs special attention, as HCPs function as role models to "influence local vaccination rates in individuals and at a population level" 43 and because of their greater personal exposure to COVID-19 infections. 43,44 Ultimately, poor vaccination acceptance undermines efforts to reach the herd immunity threshold for a given population.…”

COVID-19 Vaccination acceptance in the canton of Geneva: A Cross-Sectional Population-Based Study

“…Indeed, most previous studies carried out globally were conducted in periods when COVID-19 vaccines were not available or accessible only to certain groups, such as healthcare workers or key workers. 43,44 It is also of outright importance to investigate the factors influencing perception of COVID-19 vaccination at the local level, as vaccination hesitancy may be widely influenced by regional and cultural factors.…”