Frequency and determinants of acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine booster dose among health care providers: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background As the COVID-19 virus spreads, it has new opportunities to change, and new variants of the virus are expected to occur. Health care workers (HCWs) are potential victims of the disease and spread it. They are more vulnerable to infection due to their occupational and nonoccupational exposure. The aim of this study was to identify the frequency and determinants of the acceptance of health care providers to receive the booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Methods An online questionnaire was used to collect data by the Egyptian HCWs. The questionnaire had four sections: the first section included the participants’ sociodemographic data, the second section included data on the participants’ previous COVID-19 infection status, the third section was on COVID-19 vaccine-related information, and the fourth section evaluated the intention to take the booster dose, causes of acceptance or refusal, and any suggestions to combat COVID-19. Results A total of 413 HCWs completed the questionnaire. Females represented 79.9%, and 37.3% had direct contact with COVID-19 patients, and 61.7% had previous infection. The vast majority (94.2%) received COVID-19 vaccine, 52.1% agreed to receive the booster dose, while 47.9% refused. The most common reason to receive booster dose was for increasing protection against new variants (48.4%) and lowering rate of severe illness and hospitalization (41.4%). Male gender and previous COVID-19 vaccination were the main determining factors of acceptance to receive booster doses. Conclusion Acceptance of COVID-19 booster vaccination was relatively inadequate among the HCWs. Male gender and previous COVID-19 vaccination were determinants of acceptance.