Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance in Healthcare Workers in Iran: National Survey

Abstract Background and Aim: Acceptance of a vaccine is the most effective way to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. Health care providers are the most determining group in danger of COVID-19 more than others. They are among the first group to uptake vaccination. This study aimed to assess the level of COVID‐19 vaccine acceptance and their determinants among Health Care Workers in Iran.Methods: A cross‐sectional survey was carried out among 3600 Healthcare Workers (HCWs) in Iran. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire by a trained team from February to March 2021. A multi-stage cluster sampling method was used to select respondents. A Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the key determinants of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among participants. P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: Out of the 3536 respondents, 2191 (62.1 %) intended to uptake the COVID-19 vaccine, only 660 (18.7 %) reported hesitancy towards the COVID-19 vaccine. Only about 10% of participants said they did not trust any vaccine (domestic and foreign vaccines). Willing to accept a COVID-19 vaccine is relatively high among males, doctors, and who have a history of hospitalization due to COVID-19 infection. In multivariate models, respondents who were 40-50 years (aOR: 1.56; 95% CI: 1.47–1.66), had a history of COVID-19 infection (aOR: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.83–0.88), and hospitalized due to COVID-19 infection (aOR: 2.18; 95% CI: 1.97–2.39) were significantly associated with vaccine acceptance (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Our study showed moderate acceptance of covid-19 vaccination in the HCWs in the Islamic Republic of Iran with less acceptance in nurses. This needs more attention and implementation of educational programs for awareness and reassurance of healthcare workers.