Reviewed By: Cindy Noyes, MD; University of Vermont Medical Center, Burlington, VT
Russ and colleagues describe COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in a cross-section of healthcare workers (HCWs) working in a Midwestern academic medical center in March of 2021. Of the eligible HCWs, 81% were fully vaccinated, 9.5% had an active waiver and 9.4% took no action. HCW demographics were collected, and a social vulnerability index was calculated. Age among the different groups were similar but women <45 were more likely to submit a waiver than men of the same age. Black and Latino HCWs, HCWs with less than a bachelor’s degree of education and those with a higher social vulnerability score were more likely to have an active waiver or take no action. Physicians, mid-level providers and nurses were less likely to have an active waiver or take no action when compared to other HCWs. The authors suggest the patterns of vaccine hesitancy observed in their cohort of HCWs is similar to patterns seen in the general public and emphasize the importance of targeted outreach and education to address concerns regarding vaccine safety.
Reference:
Russ RK et al (2022). Cross-sectional study of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine uptake among healthcare workers. Antimicrobial Stewardship and Healthcare Epidemiology. https://doi.org/10.1017/ash.2022.41