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. 2022 Oct 10;20(1):386.
doi: 10.1186/s12916-022-02588-7.

Hesitancy for receiving regular SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in UK healthcare workers: a cross-sectional analysis from the UK-REACH study

Neyme Veli #  1   2 , Christopher A Martin #  1   2 , Katherine Woolf  3 , Joshua Nazareth  1   2 , Daniel Pan  1   2 , Amani Al-Oraibi  1 , Rebecca F Baggaley  1 , Luke Bryant  1 , Laura B Nellums  4 , Laura J Gray  5 , Kamlesh Khunti  6 , Manish Pareek  7   8 ; UK-REACH Study Collaborative Group
Collaborators, Affiliations

Hesitancy for receiving regular SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in UK healthcare workers: a cross-sectional analysis from the UK-REACH study

Neyme Veli et al. BMC Med. .

Abstract

Background: Regular vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 may be needed to maintain immunity in 'at-risk' populations, which include healthcare workers (HCWs). However, little is known about the proportion of HCWs who might be hesitant about receiving a hypothetical regular SARS-CoV-2 vaccination or the factors associated with this hesitancy.

Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of questionnaire data collected as part of UK-REACH, a nationwide, longitudinal cohort study of HCWs. The outcome measure was binary, either a participant indicated they would definitely accept regular SARS-CoV-2 vaccination if recommended or they indicated some degree of hesitancy regarding acceptance (probably accept or less likely). We used logistic regression to identify factors associated with hesitancy for receiving regular vaccination.

Results: A total of 5454 HCWs were included in the analysed cohort, 23.5% of whom were hesitant about regular SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Black HCWs were more likely to be hesitant than White HCWs (aOR 2.60, 95%CI 1.80-3.72) as were those who reported a previous episode of COVID-19 (1.33, 1.13-1.57 [vs those who tested negative]). Those who received influenza vaccination in the previous two seasons were over five times less likely to report hesitancy for regular SARS-CoV-2 vaccination than those not vaccinated against influenza in either season (0.18, 0.14-0.21). HCWs who trusted official sources of vaccine information (such as NHS or government adverts or websites) were less likely to report hesitancy for a regular vaccination programme. Those who had been exposed to information advocating against vaccination from friends and family were more likely to be hesitant.

Conclusions: In this study, nearly a quarter of UK HCWs were hesitant about receiving a regular SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. We have identified key factors associated with hesitancy for regular SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, which can be used to identify groups of HCWs at the highest risk of vaccine hesitancy and tailor interventions accordingly. Family and friends of HCWs may influence decisions about regular vaccination. This implies that working with HCWs and their social networks to allay concerns about SARS-CoV-2 vaccination could improve uptake in a regular vaccination programme.

Trial registration: ISRCTN Registry, ISRCTN11811602.

Keywords: COVID-19; Ethnicity; Healthcare; Hesitancy; SARS-CoV-2; Vaccination.

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Conflict of interest statement

KK is the Director of the University of Leicester Centre for Black Minority Ethnic Health, Trustee of the South Asian Health Foundation and Chair of the Ethnicity Subgroup of the UK Government Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE). MP reports grants from Sanofi, grants and personal fees from Gilead Sciences and personal fees from QIAGEN, outside the submitted work.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The association between trusted vaccine information sources and sources of information advocating against vaccination with hesitancy for receiving regular SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. *corresponds to a response rate of 57.1% of those who registered/created a profile on the study website (and 84.5% of those who consented, 1.4% of those who were sent an email and 3.2% of those who opened the email). †corresponds to a response rate of 37.1% of those who responded to the baseline questionnaire and 21.2% of those who registered/created a profile on the study website (and 31.3% of those who consented, 0.5% of those who were sent an email and 1.2% of those who opened the email)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Shows the association between sources of vaccine related information that a participant indicated they trusted, and sources of information advocating against vaccination that a participant indicated they had been exposed to, with hesitancy for regular SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. All information sources variables are binary, those that indicated they trusted an information source are compared to those who indicated they did not. Those who had been in receipt of information advocating against source are compared to those who indicated they did not. Those who had been in receipt of information advocating against occupation. GP – General practitioner; HCW – Healthcare worker
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