Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics (Dec 2024)

Healthcare workers’ willingness to receive COVID-19 booster dose and associated factors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

  • Bertin Mindje Kolomba,
  • Francois Kalenga Luhembwe,
  • Deca Blood Banza Ndala,
  • Pacifique Kanku Wa Ilunga,
  • Paul Ciamala Mukendi,
  • Amide Ngongo Kitenge,
  • John Ngoy Lumbule,
  • Elie Kilolo Ngoy,
  • Antoine Umba Ilunga,
  • Judith Mbidi Miema,
  • Christelle Kalikat Mwavita,
  • Guillaume Ngoy Mwamba,
  • Aime Cikomola Wa Bene,
  • Audry Mulumba Wakamba,
  • Alain Ngashi Ngongo,
  • Michel Kabamba Nzaji

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2024.2357214
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 20, no. 1

Abstract

Read online

ABSTRACTThe COVID-19 booster dose is considered an important adjunct for the control of the COVID-19 pandemic due to reports of reduced immunity in fully vaccinated individuals. The aims of this study were to assess healthcare workers’ intention to receive the booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine and to identify predictive factors among healthcare workers. A cross-sectional study was conducted among healthcare workers selected in two provinces, Kasai Oriental, and Haut-Lomami. Data were collected using a questionnaire administered through structured face-to-face interviews, with respondents using a pre-tested questionnaire set up on the Open Data Kit (ODK Collect). All data were analyzed using SPSS v26.0 (IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY, USA). Vaccination coverage for COVID-19, considering declarations by health workers, is around 85.9% for the province of Kasai Oriental and 85.8% for Haut-Lomami. A total of 975 responses were collected, 71.4% of health workers at Kasai Oriental and 66.4% from Haut-Lomami declared a definite willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster. The duration of protection was the main reason for accepting a booster COVID-19 dose for 64.6% of the respondents. Logistic regression analysis showed that having chronic diseases (aOR = 2.95 [1.65–5.28]), having already received one of the COVID-19 vaccines (aOR = 2.72 [1.43–5. 19]); the belief that only high-risk individuals, such as healthcare professionals and elderly people suffering from other illnesses, needed a booster dose (aOR = 1.75 [1.10–2.81]). Considering the burden of COVID-19, a high acceptance rate for booster doses could be essential to control the pandemic. Our results are novel and could help policymakers design and implement specific COVID-19 vaccination programs to reduce reluctance to seek booster vaccination.

Keywords