Assessment of Knowledge and Acceptance of Covid-19 Vaccinations among Healthcare Workers in Kano State, Nigeria

Abstract

Coronavirus is an ongoing global viral disease firstly identified in Wuhan, China in December 2019, hence its name Covid-19. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Covid-19 as a pandemic with Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). People get infected when they inhale small airborne particles or droplets exhaled by a Covid-19 infected person. Some of the recommended preventive measures include social or physical distancing, covering the mouth when sneezing or coughing, wearing of face masks and regular hand wash. A multi-stage sampling method was used to select the study locations, hospitals, healthcare departments and survey groups. A quantitative method - using structured questionnaires was used. Statistical analysis was conducted using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 26. Out of the 1004 participants that were surveyed, 864 responses were retrieved. The bulk of the respondents (59%) were male. Knowledge of Covid–19 was poor, 24.3%, while acceptance of Covid-19 vaccination was high (74.2%). Important predictors of Covid-19 vaccination are the number of years in service, marital status, designated work, and type of medical facility. Knowledge of Covid-19 is low, but acceptance of its vaccination was high among the study population. This could be due to fear of contacting the disease early plus the associated high mortality among the study population. There is a need for an enlightenment campaign to increase knowledge and further improve acceptance of the Covid-19 vaccination.