Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy among Healthcare Workers: The Case of Pharmacy Staff of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital

Abstract

There is evidence that vaccine hesitancy is present among health care workers although various studies on covid-19 vaccination prioritizations conclude that health workers should be prioritized because they are first hand responders. This cross-sectional study audited vaccination status among different categories of pharmacy staff in the largest teaching hospital in Ghana. Vaccination status among staff was ascertained using national vaccination cards after immunization with two doses of Covishield vaccine. A total of 240 workers, representing about 96% of pharmacy staff were captured. It was found that 66% of staff had received two doses and almost 80% had received at least one dose of the Covishield vaccine. Although males were more likely to vaccinate compared to females, this was not significant (OR=1.64, 95% CI 0.91 to 2.99; p=0.104). Independent odds ratios confirmed that compared to dispensing assistants, pharmacist were almost four times as likely to vaccinate (OR=3.89, 95% CI 1.72 to 8.76; p=0.001). It was also found that for logistics purposes 151 doses of the Covishield vaccine would be needed for complete vaccination of all pharmacy staff. To improve coverage, more information on the importance of vaccination against COVID-19 should be targeted towards lower level health care workers.