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. 2022 Aug 30;10(9):1429.
doi: 10.3390/vaccines10091429.

The Coverage and Acceptance Spectrum of COVID-19 Vaccines among Healthcare Professionals in Western Tanzania: What Can We Learn from This Pandemic?

Eveline T Konje  1 , Namanya Basinda  2 , Anthony Kapesa  2 , Stella Mugassa  1 , Helmut A Nyawale  3 , Mariam M Mirambo  3 , Nyambura Moremi  4 , Domenica Morona  5 , Stephen E Mshana  3
Affiliations

The Coverage and Acceptance Spectrum of COVID-19 Vaccines among Healthcare Professionals in Western Tanzania: What Can We Learn from This Pandemic?

Eveline T Konje et al. Vaccines (Basel). .

Abstract

The vaccination rate against COVID-19 remains low in developing countries due to vaccine hesitancy. Vaccine hesitancy is a public health threat in curbing COVID-19 pandemic globally. Healthcare professionals have been found to play a critical role in vaccine advocacy and promotion campaigns in the general population. A cross sectional study was conducted in the initial months of the COVID-19 vaccination roll out program in Tanzania to determine the acceptance rate, perceived barriers, and cues for actions. A total of 811 healthcare professionals participated from 26 health facilities in western Tanzania. The World Health Organization (WHO) vaccine acceptance questionnaire was adopted with minor modifications to capture the local contexts and used in data collection. Only (18.5%) healthcare professionals had received a COVID-19 vaccine and acceptance rate was 29%. The majority (62%) of participants were in the hesitancy stage due to issues related to lack of effective communication and reliable information regarding efficacy and safety. In this era of COVID-19 pandemic, there is a need to engage and involve public health figures and opinion leaders through transparent dialogue to clarify vaccine-related safety, quality, and efficacy. These strategies will reduce misconception, mistrust, and improve uptake among healthcare professionals and eventually in the general population.

Keywords: Tanzania; acceptance rate; health professionals; hesitancy; vaccines.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
COVID-19 vaccine status among health professionals.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Comparison of Hepatitis B and COVID-19 vaccine status among health professionals.
Figure 3
Figure 3
COVID-19 vaccine acceptance spectrum among health professionals.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Perceived barriers for not accepting COVID-19 vaccine by acceptance level.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Cues for action to work on improving the COVID-19 vaccine uptake among health professionals.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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