Vaccine Hesitancy among Healthcare Providers at the Beginning of a Pandemic: The Case of COVID-19 Vaccines

BACKGROUND: Trust in vaccines is a major global health issue. This study aimed to assess vaccine hesitancy among healthcare providers. METHODS: This was a multicenter cross-sectional survey conducted among healthcare providers in Riyadh between October and November of 2020. COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was assessed using eight structured items adapted from the 5Cs. RESULTS: About 34.6% (95% CI: 27.6–42.4%) of participants were willing to vaccinate against COVID-19, and 44% (95% CI: 36.5–51.9%) will recommend the vaccine to their patients. About 45% of participants were neutral regarding vaccine safety, and 40% were neutral regarding vaccine effectiveness. Almost 70% believe that the duration of clinical studies of the COVID-19 vaccines affects their confidence in the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine. Those who never hesitated or delayed taking any of the recommended vaccination were more likely to be willing to vaccinate against COVID-19 (OR: 5.46, 95% CI: 2.49–11.98). CONCLUSIONS: With the development of COVID-19 vaccines, hesitancy toward vaccines was observed among healthcare providers due to concerns regarding their safety, effectiveness, and rapid development of vaccines. Improving the level of vaccine confidence among healthcare providers is essential to help implement an effective national vaccine program to enhance vaccination uptake among both HCPs and the public during pandemics.