Assessment of COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance and Reluctance Among Staff Working in Public Healthcare Settings of Saudi Arabia: A Multicenter Study

Factors Underlying Vaccine Hesitancy and Their Mitigations in Saudi Arabia: Protocol for a Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Vaccine hesitancy is a growing concern in Saudi Arabia, impacting even well-educated parents. The decision-making process involves various factors such as accessibility, trustworthy information, and the influence of social networks, reflecting a complex interplay of emotional, cultural, social, spiritual, and political dimensions.

OBJECTIVE

This review seeks to evaluate the prevalence and trends of vaccine hesitancy, identify contributing factors, and explore potential solutions to enhance immunization rates. This review aligns with global concerns, as the World Health Organization has identified vaccine hesitancy as a top global health threat.

METHODS

Our systematic review will follow the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines and PICOS (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcomes, and Study) criteria for comprehensive assessment. We will conduct a thorough search across various databases, encompassing a wide range of vaccines, and pay special attention to vaccination campaigns and refusals. Inclusion criteria involve descriptive, observational, and analytical studies focusing on factors influencing vaccine acceptance or hesitancy. The study will use the Crowe Critical Appraisal Tool for quality assessment and perform a narrative synthesis to summarize findings thematically.

RESULTS

This systematic review is expected to unveil the prevalence and trends of vaccine hesitancy in diverse populations in Saudi Arabia, shedding light on cultural, religious, and social factors contributing to hesitancy. It aims to assess the effectiveness of implemented strategies, enable regional and global comparisons, and provide implications for tailored vaccination policies. Additionally, the review may pinpoint research gaps, guiding future investigations to address and mitigate vaccine hesitancy effectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings are expected to have direct policy implications and guide interventions to strengthen vaccination programs and improve public health outcomes.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

PRR1-10.2196/54680.

Acceptance of and hesitancy about COVID-19 vaccination among nursing students in clinical practice

BACKGROUND

Although vaccination of nursing students in clinical practice is important due to the possibility of COVID-19 infection and subsequent transmission to patients, some nursing students are hesitant to get vaccinated. Thus, it is necessary to identify the actual intentions and motivations of nursing students who have been vaccinated for COVID-19, even if their decisions were driven by clinical practice policy. The purpose of this study was to understand the nature of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among vaccinated nursing students in clinical practice and to examine their reasons for getting vaccinated despite such hesitancy.

METHOD

A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted at two tertiary hospitals in South Korea from November 20, 2021, to December 17, 2021. The study recruited a convenience sample of 125 nursing students who were vaccinated for COVID-19. Data were analyzed using the chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, and independent t-test.

RESULTS

Of the 125 nursing students, 51 (40.8%) reported vaccine hesitancy, among whom 88.2% reported that their hesitancy was due to the adverse effects and instability of the vaccine. It was also found that 70.6% of nursing students in the vaccine-hesitant group were eventually vaccinated due to clinical practice policy, whereas 67.6% of nursing students in the non-hesitant group were vaccinated to protect their health.

CONCLUSIONS

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is prevalent among nursing students. Therefore, specific efforts should be made to provide education focusing on the safety, benefits, and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, implement mandatory vaccination policies for clinical practice, and give priority to vaccination opportunities to nursing students in order to reduce the hesitancy of nursing students to vaccines.

Determinants of vaccine acceptance, knowledge, attitude, and prevention practices against COVID-19 among governmental healthcare workers in Addis Ababa and Adama, Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study

Background and Aims

COVID-19 vaccines are vital tools for infection prevention and control of the pandemic. However, coronavirus immunization requires acceptance among healthcare workforces and by the community. In Ethiopia, studies focused on determinants of vaccine acceptance, knowledge, attitude, and prevention practices (KAP) contrary to the novel coronavirus among healthcare staff are limited. Hence, closing this gap requires research.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 844 governmental healthcare workers. A stratified, simple random sampling technique was used to select the respondents. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Binary and multivariable logistic regression statistical models were used to analyze the data.

Results

This study indicated that only 57.9% of the participants had good COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, meaning they took at least a dose of the vaccine themselves. We found that 65%, 60.9%, and 51.3% of the participants had good knowledge, prevention practices, and attitude against the pandemic. The novel coronavirus vaccine acceptance rate was 2.19 times more likely among females (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.19 with 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.54-3.10) than among male participants. Further, respondents who did not report having any chronic diseases were 9.40 times higher to accept COVID-19 vaccines (AOR = 9.40 with 95% CI: 4.77, 18.53) than those who reported having a chronic condition. However, healthcare workers who had a habit of chewing khat at least once per week were 4% less likely to take the vaccine (AOR = 0.04 with 95% CI: 0.01, 0.32) than those who had no habit of chewing khat.

Conclusion

Many core factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine acceptance were identified. A significant number of participants had poor vaccine acceptance, KAP against COVID-19. Therefore, the government should adopt urgent and effective public health measures, including public campaigns to enhance public trust in COVID-19 vaccines. In addition, continuous, timely, and practical training should be provided to healthcare workers.

COVID-19 vaccine acceptance: knowledge and beliefs

Backgrounds

Vaccine acceptance varies across countries, generations, and the perceived personality of individuals. Investigating the knowledge, beliefs, and acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines among individuals is vital to ensuring adequate health system capacity and procedures and promoting the uptake of the vaccines.

Results

A cross-sectional study was conducted from August 2021 to January 2022 in Saudi Arabia. The study included 281 residents to estimate their acceptance to receive COVID-19 vaccination. Around 70% of the included participants had a moderate to high COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rate during the data collection period. The risk increases to about two folds among undergraduates [OR 1.846 (1.034-3.296), p value = 0.036)] and increases to four folds among non-employed [OR 3.944 (2.310-6.737), p value = 0.001]. About 78% of participants with high and 44% with low COVID-19 vaccine acceptance (p value = 0.001) believed the vaccines were safe and effective. The belief that COVID-19 disease will be controlled within two years increased the risk for low vaccine acceptance by about two folds [OR 1.730 (1.035-2.891), p value = 0.035]. Good knowledge about COVID-19 vaccination significantly affected the acceptance rate (p value = 0.001).

Conclusions

Several factors affect the intention of individuals to receive vaccines. Therefore, building good knowledge and health literacy through educational intervention programs, especially vaccine safety and effectiveness, is important for successful vaccination campaigns among the general population and ensuring control of the COVID-19 pandemic.