STUDY ON THE WILLINGNESS TO ACCEPT COVID-19 VACCINE AMONG HEALTHCARE WORKERS IN GOMBE, NORTH-EAST, NIGERIA

Abdulsalam Y.*, Ahmed L. G., Ibrahim R., Abdulmumuni S. A., Gatuwa A., Lynn M. and Muhammed L.

ABSTRACT

Background: The accelerated pace of COVID-19 vaccine development has heightened public anxieties and could compromise acceptance. The aim of this study was to assess the level of willingness to accept COVID-19 vaccine among healthcare workers in Gombe and the objectives was to assess the knowledge toward COVID-19 and the level of willingness of healthcare workers in Gombe to accept COVID-19 vaccine, and to determine factors that influence vaccination willingness. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 234 healthcare workers. The data were collected using self-administered questionnaire and were analysed using SPSS version 23 at univariate, bivariate and multivariate levels. A P-value of <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: Mean age of respondents was 35.6±7years. Those who are aged 31 - 45years constitute about three-fifth (60.6%) of the study population. Of the total studied participates, 128(60.1%) were male and 150(70.4%) were married. About two-fifth of the participants were nurses. 54.9% of the participants worked in tertiary health facility while more than half (52.6) had worked for than 10 years. Majority (99.1%) of the participants had good knowledge of COVID-19while two-third (65.7%) of the healthcare workers are willing to accept COVID-19 vaccine. Professional cadre, years of experience and the type of health facilities remain significant predicators of willingness to accept COVID-19 vaccine among the healthcare workers (P< 0.05). Conclusion: In this study, profession cadre, years of experience and the type of healthcare facility influence vaccination willingness among healthcare workers in Gombe.

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