Document Type : Original Article
Authors
- . Naveed Nazir Shah
- . Syed Quibtiya Khursheed 1
- . Zaid Khan, Shuja Reagu 2
- . Majid Alabdulla 2
- . Inaamul Haq 3
- . Shabir Ahmad Dar 4
- . Adnan Hamza
- . Khurshid Ahmad Dar
- . Syed Suraiya Farooq
- . Bikram Singh Datta
1 Department of Surgery, SKIMS Medical College,Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
2 Department of Mental Health Services, Hamad Medical corporation, Doha, Qatar
3 Department of Community Medicine, Government Medical College, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
4 Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization declared vaccine hesitancy as one of the planet’s
top 10 global health threats in 2019. With the rollout of the coronavirus disease‑19 (COVID‑19)
vaccines, a survey was conducted to find out the hesitancy and the apprehensions that come along
with taking COVID‑19 vaccines among health‑care workers (HCWs).
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was an online cross‑sectional survey which was developed
and shared through social media platforms among the HCWs of Kashmir. The survey captured
demographic data and used a validated hesitancy measurement tool from January 2021 to February
2021. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression using Stata
15 (Stata Corp. 2017. Stata Statistical Software: Release 15. College Station, TX: Stata Corp LLC).
RESULTS: Willingness to take the COVID‑19 vaccine when available was seen in 67.7% of the
HCWs. Overall, 9.59% of respondents reported unwillingness to receive a vaccine for COVID‑19,
while 22.7% were unsure. The most commonly cited reason for willingness to get vaccinated was an
understanding of the disease and vaccination, as reported by 81.5%. Being single was significantly
related to an increased risk of vaccine hesitancy (adjusted odds ratio = 5.27, 95% confidence interval:
2.07–13.40). Among vaccine attitudes, concerns about the safety of the vaccine, unforeseen problems
in children, and possible unknown future adverse effects of the vaccine were the most important
determinants of unwillingness.
CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion of the HCWs showed vaccine hesitancy to the COVID‐19
vaccine. Hesitancy attitudes were almost always driven by concern around the vaccine safety. States
and health‑care authorities need to recognize the massive trust deficit around the Covid‑19 vaccine
and use the popular media used by people to share credible and reliable information.
Keywords
and potential strategies of sustainability. Heliyon 2020;6:e04965.
2. Different COVID‑19 Vaccines Updated Jan. 15, 2021 – Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. Available from: https://www.
cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019‑ncov/vaccines/different‑vaccines.
html#:~:text=Authorized%20and%20Recommended%20 Vaccines&text=Currently%2C%20two%20vaccines%20are%20
authorized, COVID%2D19%20vaccine%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B.
[last accessed on 2021 Jun 05].
3. Press Statement by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI)
on Restricted Emergency Approval of COVID‑19 Virus
Vaccine – Posted On: 03 JAN 2021 11:23 AM by PIB Delhi.
Available from: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.
aspx?PRID=1685761#:~:text=The%20Subject%20Expert%20
Committee%20of, III%20clinical%20trial%20of%20M. [last
accessed on 2021 Jun 05].
4. Reluctance to Vaccinate Named a Top Global Health
Threat in 2019 – United Nations Foundation. Available
from: https://unfoundation.org/blog/post/
anti‑vaxxers‑named‑top‑global‑health‑threat‑in‑2019/. [last
accessed on 2021 Jun 05].
5. Lane S, MacDonald NE, Marti M, Dumolard L. Vaccine hesitancy
around the globe: Analysis of three years of WHO/UNICEF joint
reporting form data‑2015‑2017. Vaccine 2018;36:3861‑7.
6. An Unwanted Booster dose for Vaccine Hesitancy – By R.
Prasad – Updated; November 07, 2019. Available
from: https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/
an‑unwanted‑booster‑dose‑for‑vaccine‑hesitancy/
article29902812.ece. [last accessed on 2021 Jun 05].
7. Roller‑Wirnsberger R, Lindner S, Kolosovski L, Platzer E,
Dovjak P, Flick H, et al. The role of health determinants in the
influenza vaccination uptake among older adults (65+): A scope
review. Aging Clin Exp Res 2021;33:2123‑32.
8. Coronavirus | Study Warns of COVID‑19 Vaccine Hesitancy – By
Ramya Kannan‑Updated; December 16, 2020. Available
from: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/
coronavirus‑study‑warns‑of‑covid‑19‑vaccine‑hesitancy/
article33348861.ece. [last accessed on 2021 Jun 05].
9. Martin LR, Petrie KJ. Understanding the dimensions
of anti‑vaccination attitudes: The vaccination attitudes
examination (VAX) scale. Ann Behav Med 2017;51:652‑60.
10. Taylor S, Landry CA, Paluszek MM, Groenewoud R, Rachor GS,
Asmundson GJ. A proactive approach for managing COVID-19:
The importance of understanding the motivational roots of
vaccination hesitancy for SARS-CoV2. Front Psychol 2020;11:2890.
11. COCONEL Group. A future vaccination campaign against
COVID-19 at risk of vaccine hesitancy and politicisation. Lancet
Infect Dis 2020;20:769‑70.
12. AP‑NORC Poll: Half of Americans Would Get a COVID‑19
Vaccine – By Lauran Neergaard and Hannah Fingerhut;
May 28, 2020. Available from: https://apnews.com/article/
dacdc8bc428dd4df6511bfa259cfec44. [last accessed on 2021 Jun
06].
13. Alabdulla M, Reagu SM, Al‑Khal A, Elzain M, Jones RM.
COVID‑19 vaccine hesitancy and attitudes in Qatar: A national
cross‑sectional survey of a migrant‑majority population. Influenza
Other Respir Viruses 2021;15:361‑70.
14. Sherman SM, Smith LE, Sim J, Amlôt R, Cutts M, Dasch H,
et al. COVID-19 vaccination intention in the UK: results from
the COVID-19 vaccination acceptability study (CoVAccS), a
nationally representative cross-sectional survey. Human vaccines
& immunotherapeutics. 2021 Jun 3;17(6):1612-21.
15. Paul E, Steptoe A, Fancourt D. Attitudes towards vaccines and
intention to vaccinate against COVID‑19: Implications for public
health communications. Lancet Reg Health Eur 2021;1:100012.
16. Measuring the Impact of Exposure to COVID‑19 Vaccine
Misinformation on Vaccine Intent in the UK and US; 2020.
Available from: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2
020.10.22.20217513v1. [Last accessed on 2020 Nov 12].
17. Neumann‑Böhme S, Varghese NE, Sabat I, Barros PP, Brouwer W,
van ExelJ, et al. Once we have it, will we use it? A European survey
on willingness to be vaccinated against COVID‑19. Eur J Health
Econ 2020;21:977‑82.
)