Healthcare workers (HCWs) play a vital role in determining the success of vaccination programs. Patient acceptance and vaccination rely greatly on the utilization and attitude of HCWs towards the vaccine, their attitude also influences patients' adherence to vaccination schedules and their hesitancy. HCWs themselves can be hesitant about a certain vaccine and thus can transfer their negative attitudes to their patients, increasing vaccine hesitancy among the general population. Frontline HCWs are at an increased risk of exposure to COVID-19 due to their direct contact with their patients, working hours, psychological stress and job burnout, they also face stigma. Dental health professionals in particular are at an increased risk due to their occupational hazards that include continuous exposure to body fluids and aerosols, this increases their risk of contracting COVID-19. Therefore vaccinating healthcare workers will be beneficial, not only for themselves, but also for their households and patients.
To mitigate the rapid spread of COVID-19 and its massive impact on the economy worldwide,
efforts have to be made to protect people against the disease, one of the most effective
means was found to be vaccination. The range of technology in the development of COVID-19
vaccine is a striking feature where various approaches are being evaluated including, but not
limited to: nucleic acid (DNA and RNA), recombinant protein, live-attenuated virus,
inactivated virus and virus-like particles approaches. It is the responsibility of
governments to ensure equity in the distribution and access to the novel vaccine. Authorized
and currently available vaccines in Egypt include: 1) COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca (AZD1222)
which is an adenovirus vaccine manufactured in UK, 2) Sputnik V, a recombinant adenovirus
vaccine manufactured in Russia and 3) BBIBP-CorV Sinopharm, which is an inactivated vaccine
manufactured in China. The total number of vaccine doses administered in Egypt was reported
to be 1,315 doses in March 2021.
However, vaccine availability is not enough to ensure large-scale immunization; success of
vaccination programs depend greatly on the population's demand and acceptability of the
vaccine. Governments should strive to understand determinants of vaccine acceptability and
perception of people towards the vaccine. Although vaccination has largely contributed to
decreasing the global burden of diseases and mortality, various factors can affect the
acceptance of a new vaccine. "Vaccine hesitancy" has been declared by WHO as one of the ten
global health threats worldwide, and has been defined as 'delay in acceptance or refusal of
vaccination despite availability of vaccination services.' Causes of vaccine hesitancy
include concerns about its safety, efficacy, personal beliefs, religious reasons, concerns
about its rapid development as the rapid development of swine flu vaccine was previously
associated with increased risk of Guillain-Barre syndrome, low benefits perceived and fear of
side effects. Moreover, some people have concerns about the manufacturing process of the
vaccine, as a defective polio vaccine lead to development of incident cases of polio and
paralysis and death in earlier times.
In Egypt, healthcare workers are the first group to have access to COVID-19 vaccine and
hence, act as a primary source of knowledge to the public about the vaccine, therefore it is
crucial to estimate their level of perception and acceptability of the vaccine and determine
factors affecting their acceptability. This will help inform stakeholders to make decisions
regarding COVID-19 vaccination programs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first
study in Egypt targeting dental health professionals in particular, owing to their exclusive
high exposure level to COVID-19 among healthcare workers
Inclusion Criteria:
- Staff members at Faculty of Dentistry, Ain Shams University
- Egyptians.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Staff members who refuse to participate in the study.
- Staff members currently living abroad. (As their perception about COVID-19 situation
and risk in Egypt will not be accurate)
Ain Shams University
Cairo, Egypt