Healthcare workers (HCWs) play a vital role in determining the success of vaccinationprograms. Patient acceptance and vaccination rely greatly on the utilization and attitudeof HCWs towards the vaccine, their attitude also influences patients' adherence tovaccination schedules and their hesitancy. HCWs themselves can be hesitant about acertain vaccine and thus can transfer their negative attitudes to their patients,increasing vaccine hesitancy among the general population. Frontline HCWs are at anincreased 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 healthprofessionals in particular are at an increased risk due to their occupational hazardsthat include continuous exposure to body fluids and aerosols, this increases their riskof contracting COVID-19. Therefore vaccinating healthcare workers will be beneficial, notonly 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