Acceptability of COVID-19 vaccination among health care workers in Ghana

Agyekum, M. W.; Afrifa-Anane, G. F.; Kyei-Arthur, F.; Addo, B.

The acceptance or otherwise of the COVID-19 vaccine by health care workers can influence the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines among the general population as they are a reliable source of health information. In this study, we sought to determine the acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines among health care workers in Ghana. Using a cross-sectional design, we collected data from 234 health care workers through a self-administered online survey from 16 January to 15 February 2021. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analyses using binary logistic regression were performed using STATA version 15. The results showed that 39.3% of health care workers had the intention of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Factors such as sex, category of health care workers, relative being diagnosed with COVID-19, and trust in the accuracy of the measures taken by the government in the fight against COVID-19 proved to be significant predictors of the acceptability of the COVID-19 vaccine. Concerns about the safety of vaccines and the adverse side effects of the vaccine were identified as the main reasons why health care workers would decline uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine in Ghana. The self-reported low intention of health care workers to accept the COVID-19 vaccine in Ghana requires the urgent call of the Government of Ghana and other stakeholders to critically address health care workers' concerns about the safety and adverse side effects of COVID-19 vaccines, as this would increase vaccine uptake. Interventions must also take into consideration sex and the category of health care workers to achieve the desired results. Keywords: COVID-19, Vaccines, Vaccine acceptance, Health care workers, Ghana