key: cord-0738710-0mnx57h5
authors: Oh, Seung-Won
title: COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy among Health Care Workers
date: 2021-11-20
journal: Korean J Fam Med
DOI: 10.4082/kjfm.42.6e
sha: 460048029fa9d2411263d1b6c08e91ffd31e83e1
doc_id: 738710
cord_uid: 0mnx57h5

nan

have been reported. 1) The 73rd World Health Assembly passed a resolution in May 2020 acknowledging the need for widespread immunization as a worldwide public health measure for preventing, containing, and terminating SARS-CoV-2 transmission. 2) There are now over 155 candidate vaccines worldwide and 485 trials in progress, and 23 COVID-19 vaccines have been approved by at least one country. 3) Since Bi-oNTech and Pfizer's BNT162 vaccine first received emergency use authorization in December 2020, 3.9 billion people have received at least one dose. 1) However, many countries are experiencing a slowdown in vaccination rates. In the United States, the full vaccination rate has not exceeded 60% since reaching 50% in July 2021. Since then, the delta mutation has rapidly increased the number of infected people. This slowdown in vaccination rates is mainly attributed to vaccine hesitancy.

Delayed acceptance or refusal of the vaccination despite its availability, known as "vaccine hesitancy, " was already a growing concern before the COVID-19 pandemic. 4 According to a survey conducted in Israel in March 2020, 78% of physicians and 61% of nurses intended to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. 7) As of April 2020, an estimated 63% of Hong Kong nurses intended to take the COVID-19 vaccine. 8) In late 2020, only 36% of United States HCWs said they were willing to take the vaccine as soon as it became available. 9) On the other hand, according to a survey conducted between

States, 85% of HCWs answered that they had been or would be vaccinated. 10) HCWs bridge the gap between health care policymakers and patients and influence patients' vaccine decisions. Vaccination rates among HCWs correlate positively with their willingness to recommend COVID-19 vaccination to their patients. 9) Therefore, identifying the factors influencing vaccine hesitancy in HCW has important implications for increasing the inoculation rate of the entire population. In the study of Kumar et al., 6) individuals who considered themselves at risk of disease were more likely to accept the COVID-19 vaccination. Additionally, the most important reason for vaccine hesi-

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Vaccines candidates in clinical trials

Vaccine hesitancy: an overview

Addressing the vaccine confidence gap

Determinants of COVID-19 vaccination willingness among health care workers: a quick online survey in India

Vaccine hesitancy: the next challenge in the fight against COVID-19

Editor's Choice: Influenza vaccine uptake, COVID-19 vaccination intention and vaccine hesitancy among nurses: a survey

COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among health care workers in the United States

COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy among health care workers, communication, and policy-making

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Seung-Won Oh: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3800-0754