Veterinarian COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake Was Widespread, but Safety and Efficacy Concerns Held Some Back: Descriptive Results from a Survey of AVMA Members’ Perceptions of COVID-19

Details

• Personal Author:
  Benishek LE ; Golab GC ; Pikel L ; Tomasi, Suzanne E.
• Description:
  OBJECTIVE: Assess COVID-19 vaccine uptake among veterinarians and describe unvaccinated veterinarians' perceptions of COVID-19 disease and vaccines. SAMPLE: 2,721 (14%) of 19,654 randomly sampled AVMA members. PROCEDURES: A survey of AVMA members was conducted between June 8 and June 18, 2021. Information was collected on COVID-19 experience, vaccination intention, and perceptions of COVID-19 disease and vaccines. RESULTS: A total of 2,721 AVMA members completed the survey. Most respondents reported receiving a COVID-19 vaccine (89% [2,428/2,721]). Most unvaccinated respondents disagreed with concerns about contracting (67% [196/292]) or being harmed by (65% [187/287]) COVID-19 but agreed with concerns about short- (79% [228/290]) and long-term (89% [258/289]) side effects of COVID-19 vaccines. Over 91% (268/292) did not agree that COVID-19 vaccine benefits outweigh the risk. Although 83% (244/293) of unvaccinated respondents reported being unlikely to get a COVID-19 vaccine, 47% (137/291) agreed they would be more likely if they knew people vaccinated without serious side effects. Perceptions of COVID-19 disease severity and susceptibility, beliefs about COVID-19 vaccine benefits, and barriers and facilitators to COVID-19 vaccination varied with vaccination intention. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results of the AVMA survey suggested that COVID-19 vaccination was widespread among veterinarians in June 2021. Understanding unvaccinated respondents' health beliefs about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines may facilitate veterinarian vaccination participation. Veterinarians who abstained from COVID-19 vaccination cited concerns about the safety, efficacy, and necessity of COVID-19 vaccines. Our results suggested that demonstrating vaccine safety and a favorable risk-to-benefit ratio of vaccination may help reduce vaccine hesitancy and increase uptake of COVID-19 vaccines among veterinarians. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Communicable Diseases Health Personnel Occupational Health Preventive Medicine Risk Assessment Safety Surveys And Questionnaires Veterinarians
• Keywords:
  COVID-19 Preventive Measures Questionnaires Risk Analysis Vaccines
• ISSN:
  0003-1488
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Illinois ; Maryland ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  RHD - Respiratory Health Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  261
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20066807
• Citation:
  J Am Vet Med Assoc 2023 May; 261(5):678-687
• Contact Point Address:
  Lauren E. Benishek, PhD, Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
• Email:
  lebenishek@jhu.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:bd17b45fa63b3686686e943bf1b31cd4ed69e60cba0dad67beec9e547f46224a625ece07a2c6ae48e5d4d898f49456bb9e4b6d68e3d50178ccff018851022f19
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/231161/cdc_231161_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 345.26 KB ]