Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Health Workers Regarding COVID-19 Vaccines in Latin America

Abstract

Health workers play an essential role in vaccination, as they generate confidence in the population. However, they are also at risk of receiving misinformation about vaccines, not least because of the current context of infodemia, which complicates the response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, it is critical to understand how personnel think, feel, and act in relation to vaccination to inform the development of strategies to increase vaccine acceptance and use. To this end, the Pan American Health Organization conducted a survey of 6,700 health workers in 16 countries in the Region of the Americas. This publication presents the findings and suggests interventions needed to increase the perception of the risk of COVID-19 as a disease and the understanding of vaccine development processes, as well as confidence in their safety, efficacy, and benefits. In addition, it is important that countries work to remove any barriers to access to COVID-19 vaccination for health workers.