Perception and practices on COVID-19 vaccination and booster dose acceptability among health-care workers – A questionnaire-based study

Abstract Aim: To assess the perception and practices on COVID-19 vaccination and to determine the predictors of booster dose acceptability among health-care workers (HCWs) in South India. Materials and Methods: We conducted an anonymous cross-sectional survey on the perception and practices on COVID-19 vaccination and booster dose acceptability among the HCWs in South India. We prepared an online self-administered validated questionnaire, and the Google form link to it was circulated from March 28, 2022 to April 27, 2022, in the social media groups of the HCWs. We used binary logistic regression to identify the predictors of booster dose acceptability among HCWs. Results: Overall, we obtained 572 valid responses, of which the majority were from paramedical workers compared to doctors. Most of the respondents were unmarried females aged <30 years. Around 31.6% had been previously diagnosed with COVID-19. About 97.9%, 88.8%, and 12.6% of the participants have taken the first, second, and booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, respectively. Among the respondents, 19.7% refused to take the booster dose. The main reason for booster dose refusal is the belief that two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are sufficient to confer disease protection. Believing vaccination to be one of the most effective measures in COVID-19 prevention and being doctors by profession were the chief predictors of booster dose acceptance among HCWs. Conclusion: While the uptake of the primary COVID-19 vaccination series was commendable among Indian HCWs, booster dose was taken only by a minority of them.