# Factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among medical laboratory workers in South Africa

## TL;DR

This study examines why medical lab workers in South Africa accepted or hesitated to get the COVID-19 vaccine, finding high acceptance linked to personal and family protection.

## Contribution

The study provides insights into factors influencing vaccine acceptance among South African medical laboratory workers during the pandemic.

## Key findings

- 82.8% of medical laboratory workers accepted the COVID-19 vaccine in 2022.
- Age groups 40–49 and 50–59 years were more likely to accept the vaccine.
- Black participants were less likely to accept the vaccine compared to others.

## Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, medical laboratory workers had a higher risk of contracting COVID-19 compared to the general population.

To assess the COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and hesitancy among medical laboratory workers in South Africa in 2022.

In South Africa among the healthcare worker population at the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) in 2022.

Descriptive statistics was used to identify the reasons for COVID-19 acceptance. We examined the association between COVID-19 acceptance and other socio-demographic factors using logistic regression analyses to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI).

The prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among NHLS workers was 82.8%. Most of the participants reported that their reason for COVID-19 vaccine acceptance was mainly to protect their family (62.6%) and to protect themselves (50.2%), and they perceived the vaccine to be safe (40.7%). COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was mainly because the participants reported that there was very little research done on the vaccine (41.4%) and some were worried about the vaccine side effects (31.4%). Increased COVID-19 vaccine acceptance was associated with age, 40–49 years (OR: 5.35 [95% CI: 1.42–20.10]) and 50–59 years (OR: 11.0 [95% CI: 1.63–74.92]). Decreased COVID-19 vaccine acceptance was associated with black people (OR: 0.15 [95% CI: 0.03–0.89]).

The prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among medical laboratory workers was notably high.

This study contributes to the body of knowledge on vaccine acceptance and hesitancy.