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From Pandemic Heroes to Unemployed Villains ? Healthcare Personnel , Their Employers and Public Health Experts Grapple With Mandatory COVID Vaccination-Related Challenges
By Kelly M . Pyrek
the healthcare sector mirrors the
As public sector and moves toward mandatory COVID-19 vaccination as a condition for employment , vaccine hesitancy among healthcare workers – and members of the public – remains , and the country continues to be divided based on duty to care versus the pursuit of civil liberties-driven personal choice and persistent concerns around long-term effects and adverse events .
A recent Qualtrics survey reveals the growing chasm among Americans over vaccine mandates , with 40 percent of adults surveyed still unsure about or not planning to get a COVID-19 vaccine . The top five reasons included safety at 91 percent ; concern about side effects at 90 percent ; lack of efficacy at 65 percent ; contracting COVID-19 from the vaccine at 61 percent ; and the confidence that illness / disease is unlikely at 43 percent . The Qualtrics survey also found that 44 percent of workers said they would consider leaving their jobs if they were forced to get vaccinated ; conversely , around 38 percent of workers would consider leaving their current employer if the organization did not enact a vaccine mandate .
A systematic review by Sallam ( 2021 ) found that the U . S . was in the group reporting the lowest rates for COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in the general population , and that vaccination hesitancy rates differ by perceived susceptibility to and severity of COVID-19 and several sociodemographic characteristics such as sex , age , education , income , and occupation .
In their review of 35 studies relating to COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy in healthcare personnel worldwide , Biswas , et al . ( 2021 ) found a prevalence ranging from 4.3 percent to 72 percent ( average of 22.51 percent across all studies with 76,471 participants ). Most studies identified concerns about vaccine safety , efficacy , and potential side effects as top reasons for COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy in healthcare personnel . Other reasons for COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy were insufficient knowledge about the vaccines , belief that COVID-19 does not exist or is not a serious disease , speedy development of vaccines , politics
What has hindered vaccine acceptance is the continued contradictory information around immunization . surrounding vaccine development process , misinformation from social media , previous COVID-19 infection or health conditions , and mistrust in authorities , health experts , and pharmaceutical companies . Most studies also found that individuals who were males , of older age , and doctoral degree holders ( physicians ) were more likely to accept COVID-19 vaccines . Factors such as the higher perceived risk of getting infected with COVID-19 , direct care for patients , and history of influenza vaccination were also found to increase COVID-19 vaccination uptake probability .
Compliance with vaccines , confidence in vaccines , or history of influenza vaccination was found to be a predictor of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in a little more than half of the studies , according to Biswas , et al . ( 2021 ). Similarly , direct patient contact / caring for COVID patients or higher perceived risk and fear of being infected with COVID-19 were associated with lower COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy in more than half of the studies .
What has hindered vaccine acceptance is the continued contradictory information around immunization . As Lazarus , et al . ( 2020 ) emphasize , “ Arguably , trust is an intrinsic and potentially modifiable component of successful uptake of a COVID-19 vaccine . Our findings show that trust in government is strongly associated with vaccine acceptance and can contribute to public compliance with recommended actions . Lessons learned from previous infectious disease outbreaks and public health emergencies , including HIV , H1N1 , SARS , MERS and Ebola , remind us that trusted sources of information and guidance are fundamental to disease control . However , addressing vaccine hesitancy requires more than building trust . It is a multifactorial , complex and context-dependent endeavor that must be addressed simultaneously at global , national and sub-national levels .” They add , “ Clear and consistent communication by government officials is crucial to building public confidence in vaccine programs . This includes explaining how vaccines work , as well as how they are developed , from recruitment to regulatory approval based on