Nearly 42 percent of healthcare workers are worried that Covid-19 vaccines will cause serious side-effects, while 44 percent don’t believe the jab offers them protection against the virus, a new study has found.
A total of 595 nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals employed by the Health Service Executive (HSE) in Dublin and the northeast responded to a survey of attitudes in relation to Covid and influenza vaccines.
The research found that 56 percent of respondents believed it should not be mandatory for healthcare staff to be vaccinated against coronavirus, while nearly one-in-three believed the jab would make them unwell.
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There were contrasting attitudes to the flu vaccine, with just 17 percent worried about serious side-effects, and 71 percent convinced that vaccination offers protection against influenza.
Just over one-third of the respondents were nurses (36 percent), while 10 percent were doctors and dentists. Nearly 48 percent worked in hospital settings, while 40 percent were employed in long-term care facilities.
Some 232 of the respondents were based in North Dublin, while the remainder were distributed throughout Cavan, Louth, Meath, and Monaghan. The research was carried out by staff at the HSE and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), and the questionnaire was circulated last September.
The study also found that 89 percent of the workers surveyed believed that healthcare professionals getting the Covid-19 vaccine set a good example for patients, and 69 percent were confident advising people about the jab.
The authors of the research, which was published in the latest issue of the Irish Medical Journal, said the responses showed great awareness and support for vaccination among healthcare workers.
However, they noted that “sizeable small proportions” believed the Covid-19 vaccine would make them unwell and cause serious side-effects. “These findings highlight misconceptions about -healthcare worker- vaccination, and are consistent with other published works,” they wrote.
“The combined results to this survey highlight the potential challenges to Covid-19 and influenza vaccination in [healthcare workers], and suggest that any strategies to improve uptake rates should be multipronged.”
They said there was “no clear explanation” for the findings relating to vaccine hesitancy, but noted that existing literature highlights that doctors had lower vaccine refusal rates compared to nurses and non-clinical healthcare workers.
The authors also noted the dual importance of vaccination among healthcare workers, helping to curtail the spread of diseases as well as maintaining the health of frontline staff and reducing absenteeism due to illness.
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