The majority of doctors and nurses surveyed in a study opted not to take the COVID-19 booster vaccine due to possible side effects and concerns about vaccine safety, according to research published in the Malta Medical Journal.
The research found that, out of 121 doctors and nurses who replied to a survey, only 20.8% took the booster vaccine.
The researchers noted that the experience of reduced incidence and limited effects of COVID-19 infection in most cases may have reduced interest in the benefit of the vaccine when compared to the risk of side effects.
The results, they said, shed light on the need for policies to increase vaccination rates among healthcare professions, as they have an influence on public perception.
Titled ‘Three years after the COVID-19 pandemic: The perception of healthcare workers towards COVID-19 booster vaccine in Malta’, the research was carried out by Jacob Chircop St John, Mark Portelli, Elaine Borg and Gordon Caruana Dingli.
The researchers sent out an online anonymous questionnaire between November and December 2023, via e-mail, to 274 nurses and 228 doctors – a total of 502 healthcare workers at Mater Dei Hospital. There were 121 responses (a 24.1% response rate).
Out of 121 participants, 120, or 99.2%, reported they had taken the first COVID-19 vaccines, which were rolled out in January 2021, starting with healthcare workers and the elderly.
Asked why they opted to take the initial two vaccines when the pandemic hit Malta in March 2020, the main reasons mentioned were fear of possible effects of COVID-19 infection on their personal health, fear of possible effects of the infection on family and friends, the restrictions imposed on unvaccinated people, and patient safety.
The tables flipped years later. When asked why they did not take the boosters in 2023, the 79.2% that did not do so cited concerns about vaccine safety and efficacy, and lack of trust.
The rates were similar for doctors and nurses: 20% of nurses and 22% of doctors were vaccinated with the booster.
The major difference in the rate of booster vaccination was noted across age groups, with only 10% of 20- to 30-year-olds taking the booster vaccine compared to 43.8% of 51- to 60-year-olds.
The researchers noted that as the COVID-19 virus continues to mutate and form new variants, booster vaccines still play a role in striving for herd immunity.
This virus typically causes mild to moderate respiratory symptoms, and most people who are affected by this illness recover with only symptomatic relief. In some cases, patients develop severe symptoms and require medical attention.
After receiving a COVID-19 booster, some people might notice a sore arm where the shot was given, feel tired or have mild cold-like symptoms such as a runny or stuffy nose. Some might also experience a slight fever or chills, or feel a bit nauseous.
Other side effects include itching, inflammation of the heart muscle, swelling of lymph nodes, an allergic reaction to the vaccine, and, in rarer cases, thrombocytopenia: having fewer platelets in the blood, which can affect clotting and bruising.
The researchers noted that after the two-year-pandemic, multiple efforts by authorities were made to show that COVID-19 vaccination and boosters were safe and essential to help keep herd immunity and protect the public from COVID-19 infection. Despite this, there was still hesitancy among members of the public and healthcare workers.
“The attitude of healthcare workers towards the COVID-19 booster is important for multiple reasons. Healthcare workers are at high risk of infection due to their proximity to multiple patients in the hospital environment. Apart from this, the attitude of healthcare workers greatly influences the perception of the general public towards the booster vaccine,” they said.
The presented observations and conclusions, they said, may serve as tools for building future policies and public health actions designed to increase the COVID-19 vaccination rate.