COVID-19: Characteristics, Vaccination Status, and Perceptions of Healthcare Workers in Mali's University Hospitals in 2023

Introduction: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Mali has been conducting vaccination campaigns since March 2020. There is insufficient data on COVID-19 vaccination among healthcare workers in university hospitals (UCHs). The objectives of this study were to describe the characteristics of UCH healthcare workers, determine their vaccination status, and assess their perceptions of COVID-19 vaccination. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study from January 1 to June 30, 2023. We interviewed randomly selected consenting healthcare workers from the staff list of each UCH using questionnaires. We analyzed the data with Epi-info 7 software and calculated frequencies, proportions, means, and confidence intervals. Results: A total of 277 agents were interviewed; the average age was 33 (SD = +-8.67); the male-to female ratio was 1.02. Approximately 41% (107/277) were aged 18-29; 66% were married. The agents interviewed were mainly doctors (41%) and health technicians (21.66%). The proportion of health workers vaccinated against COVID-19 was 49% (135/277), of whom approximately 61% (83/135) had received two or more doses. Approximately 78% (216/277) of the healthcare workers interviewed had a positive opinion ofCOVID-19 vaccination; 83% (230/277) believed in the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine; fear of side effects (53.5%) and lack of confidence in vaccines (18%) were the main reasons for not getting vaccinated. Conclusion: The workers interviewed were mainly young doctors and health technicians aged 18 to 29 with a higher education level and working in a healthcare unit. More than half of these healthcare workers had not yet been vaccinated against COVID-19, mainly because of the risk of side effects. Most of them had a positive perception of COVID-19 vaccination.