Covid-19 Vaccine Acceptance, Hesitancy and Refusal Among Workers in a Paris Hospital Group

Background The aim of this study was to analyse the determinants of COVID-19 vaccination and booster dose acceptance and underlying reasons for hesitancy or refusal, among workers of a Paris hospital group. Methods This prospective questionnaire study included 845 hospital workers who completed a questionnaire between 16 November 2021 and 10 January 2022. Results The main reasons for vaccine hesitancy were insufficient hindsight on the vaccine, lack of information, and fear of side effects. 48.8% of respondents did not feel vaccine hesitant, whereas 34.8% felt little hesitancy, and 16.4% felt significant hesitancy. 35.9% of auxiliary nurses felt strong vaccine hesitancy compared to 3.8% of medical practitioners (p < 0.001). Acceptance of the vaccine booster dose was 78.0%. The main reasons for vaccination were personal conviction (61.7%), mandatory vaccination (38.6%) and sanitary pass implementation (23.8%). The main reasons for hesitancy were lack of data (40.1%) followed by fear of side effects (29.3%). In 78 of the 105 employees who refused the vaccine booster dose, the reasons were the same as those for initial vaccination. Conclusion The employees expressing the highest COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy were women, hospital housekeepers, nurses and the 20–29 year age group. We must therefore focus our reinsurance and information efforts on these populations with greater vaccine hesitancy.