Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics (Nov 2022)

Evaluation of vaccination status of health care workers for recommended vaccines and their acceptance of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines

  • Pembe Derin Oygar,
  • Ayşe Büyükçam,
  • Zumrut Sahbudak Bal,
  • Nazan Dalgıç,
  • Şefika Elmas Bozdemir,
  • Adem Karbuz,
  • Benhur Şirvan Çetin,
  • Yalçın Kara,
  • Ceren Çetin,
  • Nevin Hatipoğlu,
  • Hatice Uygun,
  • Fatma Deniz Aygün,
  • Selda Hançerli Törün,
  • Dicle Şener Okur,
  • Dilek Yılmaz Çiftdoğan,
  • Tuğçe Tural Kara,
  • Aysun Yahşi,
  • Arife Özer,
  • Sevliya Öcal Demir,
  • Gülşen Akkoç,
  • Cansu Turan,
  • Enes Salı,
  • Semra Şen,
  • Emine Hafize Erdeniz,
  • Soner Sertan Kara,
  • Melike Emiroğlu,
  • Tuğba Erat,
  • Hacer Aktürk,
  • Sibel Laçinel Gürlevik,
  • Murat Sütçü,
  • Zeynep Gökçe Gayretli Aydın,
  • Başak Yıldız Atikan,
  • Edanur Yeşil,
  • Gizem Güner Özenen,
  • Emel Çelebi,
  • Kadir Efe,
  • Didem Kizmaz isancli,
  • Habibe Selver Durmuş,
  • Seher Tekeli,
  • Ayşe Karaaslan,
  • Lida Bülbül,
  • Habip Almış,
  • Özge Kaba,
  • Yıldız Ekemen Keleş,
  • Bahadır Yazıcıoğlu,
  • Serife Bahtiyar Oğuz,
  • Hüsnü Fahri Ovalı,
  • Hazal Helin Doğan,
  • Solmaz Çelebi,
  • Deniz Çakir,
  • Burcugül Karasulu,
  • Gülsüm Alkan,
  • İrem Yenidoğan,
  • Doruk Gül,
  • Burcu Parıltan Kücükalioğlu,
  • Gülhadiye Avcu,
  • Musa Gürel Kukul,
  • Melis Bilen,
  • Belma Yaşar,
  • Tuğba Üstün,
  • Ömer Kılıç,
  • Yasemin Akın,
  • Sinem Oral Cebeci,
  • İbrahim Hakan Bucak,
  • Mehpare Sarı Yanartaş,
  • Aslıhan Şahin,
  • Sertaç Arslanoglu,
  • Murat Elevli,
  • Rabia Çoban,
  • Sadiye Kübra Tuter Öz,
  • Halil Hatipoğlu,
  • İlyas Tolga Erkum,
  • Mehmet Turgut,
  • Asuman Demirbuğa,
  • Taha Özçelik,
  • Diclehan Çiftçi,
  • Emine Ergül Sarı,
  • Gökhan Akkuş,
  • Sadık Sami Hatipoğlu,
  • Ener Cağrı Dinleyici,
  • Mustafa Hacimustafaoğlu,
  • Ferda Özkınay,
  • Zafer Kurugöl,
  • Ali Bulent Cengiz,
  • Ayper Somer,
  • Hasan Tezer,
  • Ateş Kara

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2022.2044707
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 18, no. 5

Abstract

Read online

Introduction Health care workers (HCWs) are disproportionately exposed to infectious diseases and play a role in nosocomial transmission, making them a key demographic for vaccination. HCW vaccination rates are not optimal in many countries; hence, compulsory vaccination policies have been implemented in some countries. Although these policies are effective and necessary under certain conditions, resolving HCWs’ hesitancies and misconceptions about vaccines is crucial. HCWs have the advantage of direct contact with patients; hence, they can respond to safety concerns, explain the benefits of vaccination, and counter antivaccine campaigns that escalate during pandemics, as has been observed with COVID-19. Method A short survey was carried out in May–June 2020 on the vaccination status of HCWs working with pediatric patients with COVID-19. The survey inquired about their vaccination status (mumps/measles/rubella [MMR], varicella, influenza, and diphtheria/tetanus [dT]) and willingness to receive hypothetical future COVID-19 vaccines. The respondents were grouped according to gender, age, occupation, and region. Results In total, 4927 HCWs responded to the survey. Most were young, healthy adults. The overall vaccination rates were 57.8% for dT in the past 10 years, 44.5% for MMR, 33.2% for varicella, and 13.5% for influenza. Vaccination rates were the highest among physicians. The majority of HCWs (81%) stated that they would be willing to receive COVID-19 vaccines. Conclusion Although vaccination rates for well-established vaccines were low, a majority of HCWs were willing to receive COVID-19 vaccines when available. Education and administrative trust should be enhanced to increase vaccination rates among HCWs.

Keywords