Abstract:

Objective: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are known be at a high risk of transmission during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The present study evaluated HCWs’ attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines, and COVID-19 serologic status before and after the vaccination. Methods: This study is a prospective observational study. All participants completed a brief survey and were questioned about their intentions and hesitations about getting CoronaVac®. Before the CoronaVac® vaccine, the anti-body levels of all participants were checked. For those who agreed to get the vaccine, in the second step of the study, anti-body titers were checked twice: 1 month after the 1st and the 2nd doses of vaccination. In the last step of the study, COVID-19 surveillance was performed on all participants for 6 months. Results: A total of 127 participants, 104 females, and 23 males, with a median age of 29 years were included in the study. A total of 43 HCWs had a positive history of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the most affected group was physicians (41.8%) followed by nurses (27.6%). Among 43 participants who had COVID-19 history positive, 31 of them tested positive for anti-bodies, while 12 of them were negative. Anti-body levels were tested as positive in 4 of 84 participants who had no positive history of COVID-19. Seventy-six (59.8%) were vaccinated. The reasons for vaccine hesitancy were; a previous infection with the SARS-CoV-2 (n=15, 29.4%), and the belief in vaccine ineffectiveness (n=22, 43.1%). Anti-body response rates were 80.2% after 1st dose and 100% after 2nd dose. In the 6-month follow-up period, unvaccinated 7 (13.7%) HCWs and vaccinated 1 (1.3%) HCW had COVID-19 infections. Conclusion: Vaccination is essential in terms of protection from COVID-19. CoronaVac® provides an adequate anti-body response rate among HCWs. Vaccine hesitancy against COVID-19 can be a barrier to ending the pandemic in communities. HCWs work also advocates for patients and the public. It is essential to make the HCWs competent with in-service training on vaccines, vaccination, and against vaccine hesitancy.

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