Change of Willingness to Accept COVID-19 Vaccine and Reasons of Vaccine Hesitancy of Working People at Different Waves of Local Epidemic in Hong Kong, China: Repeated Cross-Sectional Surveys

Abstract

Vaccine hesitancy is among the major threats to the effectiveness of vaccination programmes. This study aimed to report the trend in response to willingness to accept the COVID-19 vaccine between two waves of the local epidemic and examine differences among occupations. Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted online during the first wave (February) and third wave (August to September) of the local epidemic in 2020. Acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine was measured along with personal protection behaviours and occupations. A total of 2047 participants provided valid responses. The willingness to accept the COVID-19 vaccine among the participants was lower in the third wave (34.8%) than the first wave (44.2%). There were more concerns over vaccine safety in the third wave. Clerical/service/sales workers were less likely to accept the vaccine (adjusted odds ratio: 0.62, 95% confidence interval: 0.43–0.91). A high-level compliance of facemask wearing was found, and more people maintained social distancing and used alcohol hand rub in the third wave. Decreasing willingness to accept the COVID-19 vaccine may be associated with increasing concerns about vaccine safety and growing compliance of personal protection behaviours. The rush of vaccine development with higher risks of safety issues may jeopardize the public’s trust and lower uptake rates. Education and favourable policy should be provided to the general working population for the vaccination, especially for those who are not professional and are frequently exposed to crowds.

Change in vaccine willingness in Australia: August 2020 to January 2021

“…Internationally, preliminary evidence suggests that while vaccine hesitancy initially decreased in the early stages of the pandemic (Caserotti et al 2021), it has been on the rise in a number of countries throughout the world, even those experiencing high rates of COVID-19, and those under lock-down conditions. For example, Wang et al (2021) found that vaccine acceptance in Hong Kong was lower during their third COVID-19 wave, compared to the first, and research by Hacquin et al (2020) suggests that vaccine refusal steadily rose between May and September in France, with only 23% of survey participants being willing to take a future vaccine as reported in September 2020. Similarly, findings from the United States indicate that there was a steady increase in vaccine hesitancy throughout 2020 (Firdman et al 2020; Huynh 2020; Daly & Robinson 2020), however recent research by Pew Research Center (2020) suggests that this trend might be starting to change, with 60% of Americans reporting that would get a vaccine for COVID-19 in November 2020, up from 51% in September.…”

“…The fact that vaccine hesitancy appears to be rising in countries heavily affected by COVID-19 contradicts previous research which suggests that the increased risk of a disease should result in improvements to vaccine acceptance (Fridman et al 2020). Potential explanations for a rising trend in vaccine hesitancy include greater safety concerns and a perceived rush of vaccine development (Daly et al 2020; Huynh 2020; Wang et al 2021), a lack of trust in government and pharmaceutical industries, and perceptions that the vaccine isn’t effective (Hacquin et al 2020).…”

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in care home staff: a survey of Liverpool care homes

“…International surveys have shown that 28% of the general population are COVID-19 vaccine hesitant, with the highest rates in the 25-34 age group and in females [9]. Hesitancy reasons include concerns about safety, lack of effectiveness, and the belief that vaccination is unnecessary [10]. Twenty-nine percent of health care works are hesitant, with higher levels in young adults and females, and 41% of those hesitant have safety concerns about the vaccine [11].…”

Gender differences in the determinants of willingness to get the COVID-19 vaccine among the working-age population in Japan

“…Previous studies have reported that age, gender, race, education level, influenza vaccination status, and fear of COVID-19 transmission are associated with the willingness to get the COVID-19 vaccine. [14][15][16][17][18] In Japan, willingness to get the COVID-19 vaccine was previously examined in a single study of 1,100 adults, with results showing that vaccine hesitancy was higher in Japan than in other countries, particularly among women. 19 However, gender differences in the determinants of willingness to get the COVID-19 vaccine, such as demographic and health characteristics, influenza vaccination status, and fear of COVID-19 transmission, have not been fully investigated.…”