Frontiers in Public Health (Mar 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant: Exploring Healthcare Workers' Awareness and Perception of Vaccine Effectiveness: A National Survey During the First Week of WHO Variant Alert
- Mohamad-Hani Temsah,
- Mohamad-Hani Temsah,
- Mohamad-Hani Temsah,
- Fadi Aljamaan,
- Fadi Aljamaan,
- Shuliweeh Alenezi,
- Shuliweeh Alenezi,
- Khalid Alhasan,
- Khalid Alhasan,
- Abdulkarim Alrabiaah,
- Abdulkarim Alrabiaah,
- Rasha Assiri,
- Rolan Bassrawi,
- Ali Alhaboob,
- Ali Alhaboob,
- Fatimah Alshahrani,
- Fatimah Alshahrani,
- Mohammed Alarabi,
- Mohammed Alarabi,
- Ali Alaraj,
- Ali Alaraj,
- Nasser S. Alharbi,
- Nasser S. Alharbi,
- Rabih Halwani,
- Rabih Halwani,
- Amr Jamal,
- Amr Jamal,
- Ayman Al-Eyadhy,
- Ayman Al-Eyadhy,
- Naif AbdulMajeed,
- Naif AbdulMajeed,
- Lina Alfarra,
- Wafa Almashdali,
- Amel Fayed,
- Fahad Alzamil,
- Fahad Alzamil,
- Mazin Barry,
- Mazin Barry,
- Mazin Barry,
- Ziad A. Memish,
- Ziad A. Memish,
- Jaffar A. Al-Tawfiq,
- Jaffar A. Al-Tawfiq,
- Jaffar A. Al-Tawfiq,
- Sarah Alsubaie,
- Sarah Alsubaie
Affiliations
- Mohamad-Hani Temsah
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Mohamad-Hani Temsah
- Department of Pediatric, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Mohamad-Hani Temsah
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Prince Abdullah Ben Khaled Celiac Disease Research Chair, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Fadi Aljamaan
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Fadi Aljamaan
- Department of Critical Care, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Shuliweeh Alenezi
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Shuliweeh Alenezi
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Khalid Alhasan
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Khalid Alhasan
- Department of Pediatric, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Abdulkarim Alrabiaah
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Abdulkarim Alrabiaah
- Department of Pediatric, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Rasha Assiri
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Rolan Bassrawi
- Department of Pediatric, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Ali Alhaboob
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Ali Alhaboob
- Department of Pediatric, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Fatimah Alshahrani
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Fatimah Alshahrani
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Mohammed Alarabi
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Mohammed Alarabi
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Ali Alaraj
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Qassim, Saudi Arabia
- Ali Alaraj
- Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Nasser S. Alharbi
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Nasser S. Alharbi
- Department of Pediatric, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Rabih Halwani
- 0Sharjah Institute of Medical Research, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- Rabih Halwani
- 1Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- Amr Jamal
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Amr Jamal
- 2Department of Family and Community Medicine, King Saud University Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Ayman Al-Eyadhy
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Ayman Al-Eyadhy
- Department of Pediatric, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Naif AbdulMajeed
- Department of Pediatric, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Naif AbdulMajeed
- 3Department of Pediatric Nephrology, Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Lina Alfarra
- 4Department of Ob-Gyn, Dr. Abdul Rahman Al Mishari Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Wafa Almashdali
- 5Department of Ob-Gyn, Dr. Fatina Imran Medical Complex, Doha, Qatar
- Amel Fayed
- 6Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Fahad Alzamil
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Fahad Alzamil
- Department of Pediatric, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Mazin Barry
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Mazin Barry
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Mazin Barry
- 7Division of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Ziad A. Memish
- 8King Saud Medical City, Ministry of Health and Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Ziad A. Memish
- 9Hubert Department of Global Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Jaffar A. Al-Tawfiq
- 0Department of Specialty Internal Medicine and Quality, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Dhahra, Saudi Arabia
- Jaffar A. Al-Tawfiq
- 1Infectious Disease Division, Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- Jaffar A. Al-Tawfiq
- 2Infectious Disease Division, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Sarah Alsubaie
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Sarah Alsubaie
- Department of Pediatric, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.878159
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 10
Abstract
BackgroundAs the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant spreads in several countries, healthcare workers' (HCWs) perceptions and worries regarding vaccine effectiveness and boosters warrant reassessment.MethodsAn online questionnaire among HCWs in Saudi Arabia (KSA) was distributed from Dec 1st−6th 2021 to assess their perceptions, vaccine advocacy to the Omicron variant, and their perception of the effectiveness of infection prevention measures and vaccination to prevent its spread, their Omicron variant related worries in comparison to the other variants, and their agreement with mandatory vaccination in general for adults.ResultsAmong the 1,285 HCW participants, two-thirds were female, 49.8 % were nurses, 46.4% were physicians, and 50.0% worked in tertiary care hospitals. 66.9% considered vaccination to be the most effective way to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant and future variants. The respondents however perceived social distancing (78.0%), universal masking (77.8%), and avoiding unnecessary travel (71.4%) as slightly superior to vaccination to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants. HCWs aging 55 or older agreed significantly with vaccine ineffectiveness to control Omicron spread, while those who believed in non-pharmacological infection prevention measures agreed significantly with vaccination for that purpose. Male HCWs had a significant agreement with mandatory vaccination of all eligible adult populations. On the other hand, unwilling HCWs to receive the vaccine had strong disagreements with mandatory vaccination.ConclusionsThe current study in the first week of Omicron showed that only two-thirds of HCWs felt that vaccination was the best option to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant, indicating the need for further motivation campaigns for vaccination and booster dose. HCWs had a strong belief in infection prevention measures to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants that should be encouraged and augmented.
Keywords
- COVID-19 vaccine
- SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant
- healthcare workers' perceptions
- SARS-CoV-2 variants
- Omicron variant
