COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance and Hesitancy among Healthcare Workers in Lusaka, Zambia; Findings and Implications for the Future

Abstract

The uptake of COVID-19 vaccines is critical to address the severe consequences of the disease. Previous studies have suggested that many healthcare workers (HCWs) are hesitant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, further enhancing hesitancy rates within countries. COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and hesitancy levels are currently unknown among HCWs in Zambia, which is a concern given the burden of infectious diseases in the country. Consequently, this study assessed COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and hesitancy among HCWs in Lusaka, Zambia. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 240 HCWs between August and September 2022, using a semi-structured questionnaire. Multivariable analysis was used to determine the key factors associated with vaccine hesitancy among HCWs. Of the 240 HCWs who participated, 54.2% were females. A total of 72.1% of the HCWs would accept being vaccinated, while 27.9% were hesitant. Moreover, 93.3% of HCWs had positive attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines, with medical doctors having the highest mean attitude score (82%). Encouragingly, HCWs with positive attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines had reduced odds of being hesitant (AOR = 0.02, 95% CI: 0.01–0.11, p < 0.001). Overall, acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine among HCWs in Lusaka, Zambia, was high, especially by those with positive attitudes. However, the current hesitancy among some HCWs is a concern. Consequently, there is a need to address this and encourage HCWs to fully promote vaccination programs going forward.

COVID-19 vaccination uptake among healthcare workers in Ghana: A comprehensive analysis of knowledge, attitude, perceived vaccine effectiveness, and health belief model constructs

“…This study found an outstanding vaccine uptake among HCWs, with more than three-quarters (85.9%) of participants having received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The high COVID-19 vaccination rate among HCWs in Ghana is similar to high rates reported by other researchers, such as a vaccination rate of 72.1% in Zambia [39], 77.0% in China [64], 82.5% in Malawi [65], and 70.5% in Egypt [66]. In contrast to these findings, formative studies conducted before the COVID-19 vaccines were rolled out reviewed that most HCWs had concerns about the vaccines and were not willing to get vaccinated once vaccines were made available.…”

“…Conversely, two other studies found acceptance rates of 70.0% [ 22 ] and 78.6% among HCWs in Ghana, exceeding the regional acceptance rate in Africa [ 38 ]. Key determinants of vaccine hesitancy among HCWs, particularly in developing countries included concerns about vaccine effectiveness [ 39 ], knowledge about the vaccine [ 40 , 41 ], attitude towards vaccination [ 35 , 42 , 43 ], and health belief model measures, including perceived susceptibility to and severity of COVID-19 infection [ 44 , 45 ], perceived barriers and benefits to vaccination [ 42 ], and cues to action [ 46 ]. Globally, perceived COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness among the general population ranged from 67.8% to 95.9%, and factors such as age, sex, level of education, and marital status significantly influenced individual perception of vaccine efficacy [ 47 ].…”

COVID-19 vaccination uptake among healthcare workers in Ghana: A comprehensive analysis of knowledge, attitude, perceived vaccine effectiveness, and health belief model constructs

“…This study found an outstanding vaccine uptake among HCWs, with more than three-quarters (85.9%) of participants having received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The high COVID-19 vaccination rate among HCWs in Ghana is similar to high rates reported by other researchers, such as a vaccination rate of 72.1% in Zambia [55], 77.0% in China [56], 82.5% in Malawi [57], and 70.5% in Egypt [58]. In contrast to these findings, formative studies conducted before the COVID-19 vaccines were rolled out reviewed that most HCWs had concerns about the vaccines and were not willing to get vaccinated once vaccines were made available.…”

Understanding COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance among Healthcare Workers in Indonesia: Lessons from Multi-Site Survey

“…This shows that the COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among Indonesian healthcare workers is lower compared to similar studies conducted in Singapore (94.9%) [ 27 ], the United Kingdom (93.4%) [ 28 ], and Lebanon (86.8%) [ 29 ]. On the contrary, healthcare workers in Indonesia were more willing to accept the COVID-19 vaccine compared to the healthcare workers surveyed in the United States (36%) [ 30 ], a joint study conducted in France, Belgium, and Canada (72.4%) [ 31 ], a review of 35 studies conducted globally in 2020–2021 (average vaccine acceptance rate of 77.49%) [ 32 ], in Oman (42.3%) [ 22 ], Zambia (72.1%) [ 33 ], the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) (67.2%) [ 34 ], and Somalia (61%) [ 35 ]. The varying rates of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance illustrate that the vaccine acceptance rate is highly contextual in terms of place and time, varying from one nation to the next and from one time point to the next, is influenced by numerous factors, and is a true reflection of trust and confidence in vaccines, the system delivering them, sources of information on these topics, and in the government and scientific communities.…”