COVID-19 vaccination status and motivators among Canadian health care workers: are they different from the general population?

OBJECTIVES

To determine the prevalence and correlates of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Canadian health care workers (HCWs) and identify motivators for COVID-19 vaccination, compared with the general population (GPop).

METHODS

As part of the iCARE study, 4 cross-sectional age-, sex-, and province-weighted population-based samples of 12 009 Canadians aged 18+ years were recruited between May 2021 and February 2022. Participants self-reported HCW and vaccine status.

RESULTS

A total of 738 participants identified as HCWs, with 8.5% being vaccine hesitant, versus 12.6% of the GPop (P = .005). In multivariate analyses, those with a chronic disease were less likely (HCW odds ratio [OR] = 0.34; GPop OR = 0.77) and parents with children <18 years of age in the household were more likely (HCW OR = 2.29; GPop OR = 1.39) to be vaccine hesitant. Needing only a single-dose vaccine (86%; 82.6%), and vaccine safety (46%; 42%) and effectiveness (38%; 37%) were most likely to motivate hesitant HCWs and GPop to get vaccinated.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings highlight less vaccine hesitancy in HCWs compared with the GPop, despite demographic and motivator correlates being similar. In terms of policy implications, shared interventions emphasizing vaccine safety, reduced illness severity, shorter disease duration, and the advantages of single-dose options may benefit all groups.