[Vaccination coverage against COVID-19 in healthcare workers and associated factors in the city of Yaoundé in July 2022].

Abstract

Introduction: vaccination is one of the most effective COVID-19 control strategies. Because of their high exposure to infectious risks, healthcare workers are considered as priority targets. Given the overall low vaccination coverage in the country, we investigated the vaccination status of healthcare workers and the associated factors. The general objective was to determine vaccination coverage and factors associated with COVID-19 vaccination among healthcare workers in Yaoundé.

Methods: we conducted a quantitative, cross-sectional study based on the survey of 621 participants from 125 health facilities, divided into 3 strata, including all the health districts in the city of Yaoundé, from 06/06 to 09/07/2022. The sample size was calculated following the WHO recommended approach for estimating vaccine coverage using the two-stage cluster sampling method, with 10% precision, for an anticipated vaccine coverage of 25% and a 95% confidence interval. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify associations.

Results: vaccination coverage among healthcare workers in Yaoundé was estimated at 42.0% (95% CI: 38.2% - 46.0%), including 1.3% verified vaccination status. Socio-professional (category of health facility, activity sector and care unit) and psychosocial (level of experience of COVID-19 and perception of the COVID-19 vaccine) factors are statistically associated with vaccination.

Conclusion: vaccination coverage among health professionals in Yaoundé remains low, these results provide relevant information for evaluating and adjusting strategies to improve vaccination coverage among healthcare workers at both regional and national levels.