The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has globally caused widespread disruption, morbidity and mortality. The uptake of COVID-19 vaccination is critical for minimising further impacts of the pandemic. Health and aged care workers (HACWs) play a central role in public confidence in vaccines and are one of the priority groups for COVID-19 vaccination in Australia. Qualitative phone interviews with 19 HACWs aged 21–50 years old from New South Wales, Australia, were conducted, and the data were analysed thematically in order to understand the factors influencing HACWs’ acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination. We found that HACWs reported a continuum of COVID-19 vaccination intentions with 12 enthusiastically accepting and 7 hesitant. Using the Behavioral and Social Drivers of COVID-19 Vaccination (BeSD) Framework, we found that participants’ acceptance of vaccination was primarily driven by their perceptions of COVID-19 vaccination (such as safety, risk and benefits) and by the information sources, people and norms they trusted. Informed by study findings, we propose several communication strategies which may be helpful in addressing HACWs vaccination acceptance. We note however that as the pandemic continues, further studies with HACWs from diverse backgrounds are needed in order to provide accurate data on diverse motivational and practical drivers of evolving perceptions and attitudes towards vaccination.
Objectives: Acceptance and high uptake of COVID-19 vaccines continues to be critical for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. This narrative review aimed to summarise findings on factors influencing acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines in the period leading up to the approval and rollout.Methods: We conducted a narrative review of literature published in 2020 on factors influencing acceptance of hypothetical COVID-19 vaccines in adults in high income countries with well-established health systems.Results: Facilitators of acceptance included confidence in vaccine safety and effectiveness, high COVID-19 disease risk perception and trust in health authorities and other vaccine stakeholders, including government. Barriers included safety and effectiveness concerns, perceived scientific uncertainty, low disease risk perception, and low trust in authorities and other stakeholders.Conclusion: Evidence on facilitators and barriers to COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, at a time prior to vaccine rollout, can help health authorities address hesitancy and may inform approaches to support acceptance of novel pandemic vaccines in the future. Future research should include in-depth qualitative research to gather more nuanced evidence.
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