Acceptability of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Booster dose among Physicians in Egypt: a cross sectional study

Nearly 60 major medical organizations have advocated for mandatory COVID-19 vaccination among healthcare. COVID-19 vaccination efforts have faced obstacles due to hesitancy and mistrust. Similar challenges are anticipated for COVID-19 booster shot initiatives, raising concerns regarding the acceptance of additional doses.
Aim: To identify the determinants of acceptability of Egyptian physicians for SARS-Co-V2 booster vaccine.
Methods: A cross-sectional online-based study that targeted a sample of Egyptian physicians living and working in Egypt since January 2020.Several psychometrically valid and reliable tools were used to measure: general attitude towards vaccines , confidence in SARS-CoV-2 booster vaccine, demographic questions. And questions targeting the attitudes and prospective acceptance of a booster vaccine
Results: Half of the participants (51.6 %) were willing to receive the COVID-19 booster dose. Several factors were identified as significant predictors for booster vaccine acceptance, including being male, having chronic medical conditions, no previous COVID infection, and receiving multiple types of COVID-19 vaccines (P value 0.015, 0.025, 0.048, <0.001 respectively). Conversely, the main reason for unwillingness to receive the booster dose was the fear of multiple boosters and its consequences.
Conclusion: Of particular concern is the spread of vaccine hesitancy among health care workers. This group is generally regarded as the most trusted source of information, awareness, and encouragement for vaccine uptake within the community.