article · Vaccine
A longitudinal cohort study tracked COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among 588 healthcare workers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo across 25 survey rounds between August 2020 and August 2021. Hesitancy fluctuated substantially over this period. Between August 2020 and mid-March 2021, hesitancy ranged between roughly 9 percent and 24 percent. By early April 2021, hesitancy surged to 52.0 percent before dropping to 22.6 percent by late August 2021, which remained higher than rates observed early in the pandemic. Reported drivers of vaccination intentions shifted over time: the influence of Ministry of Health recommendations and ease of access declined, whereas concerns regarding severe side effects and vaccine origin remained steady. High support for routine national immunisation schedules persisted throughout the study, showing that hesitancy was dynamic and specific to the pandemic context.
Healthcare workers are vital front-line responders and trusted health advisors within their communities. Recognizing that vaccine hesitancy fluctuates over time rather than remaining fixed helps public health authorities create responsive communication strategies. Tracking these changing views enables targeted interventions to protect clinical staff and bolster wider community confidence during infectious disease outbreaks in low-resource environments.
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Hesitancy to receive the COVID-19 vaccine among healthcare workers (HCWs) in low-resource settings, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), is a major global health challenge. This study identifies changes in willingness to receive vaccination among 588 HCWs in the DRC and reported influences on COVID-19 vaccination intentions. Up to 25 repeated measures were collected from participants between August 2020 to August 2021. Among the overall cohort, between August 2020 and mid-March 2021, the proportion of HCWs in each period of data collection reporting COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy ranged from 8.6% (95% CI: 5.97, 11.24) to 24.3% (95% CI: 20.12, 28.55). By early April 2021, the proportion reporting hesitancy more than doubled (52.0%; 95% CI: 46.22, 57.83). While hesitancy in the cohort began to decline by late-June 2021, 22.6% (95% CI: 18.05, 27.18) respondents indicated hesitancy in late-August 2021 which remains greater than the proportion of hesitancy at any time prior to early-March 2021. Patterns in reported influences on COVID-19 vaccination were varied with the proportion reporting some influences (e.g., no serious side effects, country of vaccine production) remaining stable throughout the year and other factors (e.g., recommendation of Ministry of Health, ease of vaccination) falling in popularity among respondents. Agreement that the national vaccination schedule should be followed apart from the COVID-19 vaccine remained high among respondents throughout the study period. This study shows that, among a cohort of HCWs in the DRC who have likely been influenced by regional, national, and global factors, COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy has fluctuated during the pandemic and should not be treated as a static factor. Additional research to determine which factors most influence HCWs' willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine offers opportunities to reduce vaccine hesitancy among this important population through tailored public health messaging.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.06.077
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