ArticlePLOS global public health2023
Examining the uptake of COVID-19 vaccine booster doses among healthcare workers in South Africa: A mixed-methods study.
Article in PLOS global public health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 7 citations in OpenAlex.
- Bidirectional associations between influenza and COVID-19 vaccination: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Predictors of COVID-19 vaccination status among youth in eThekwini, South Africa: results from the AYAZAZI RIGHTS study.Global health action · 2026Article
- COVID-19 vaccine booster uptake among healthcare workers in Bangladesh: predictors, challenges, and lessons from a low-income setting.Tropical medicine and health · 2026Article
- Comparative analysis of COVID-19 vaccine and booster acceptance among healthcare workers in public and private sectors in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.Health SA = SA Gesondheid · 2026Article
- Insights on the implementation strategies for a potential new tuberculosis vaccine in South Africa.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Post-vaccination SARS-CoV-2 infections among healthcare workers in a tertiary hospital in Ghana.PloS one · 2025Article
- COVID-19 vaccine uptake, barriers and associated factors among healthcare workers in Malawi.Journal of public health in Africa · 2025Article
- Vaccine Hesitancy and Associated Factors Amongst Health Professionals: A Scoping Review of the Published Literature.Vaccines · 2024Article
- Acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine booster doses among the Adult Population in Ghana: a cross-sectional study using the Health Belief Model.BMC public health · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
This study aimed examin the factors associated with the uptake and non-acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine booster doses among healthcare workers (HCWs) in South Africa. We used a mixed-methods design with data from a web-based self-administered survey followed by semi-structured in-depth interviews (IDIs) with selected participants. Of the 6235 HCWs included in our analysis who had fully vaccinated, 3470 (56%) had taken their booster dose with a further 17% intending to get the booster. HCWs aged 35 to 49 years (OR = 1.30 [95% CI: 1.15-1.46]), and those aged 50 years or older (OR = 2.66 [95% CI: 2.32-3.05]) were more likely to get the booster dose. Females were less likely to have received the booster dose (OR = 0.88 [95% CI: 0.79-0.98]) with doctors more likely (OR = 1.58 [95% CI: 1.35-1.84]) than Nurses to have received the booster dose. HCWs in direct contact with patients (OR = 1.17 [95% CI: 1.00-1.38]) and who had previously received a flu vaccine (OR = 1.99 [95% CI: 1.56-2.55]) were more likely to have received the booster dose. Four themes emerged from the qualitative data analysis: (1) Vaccination as routine practice among HCWs; (2) Emergence of new COVID-19 variants necessitating vaccine boosters; (3) Fear of potential side-effects; and (4) Limited value of COVID-19 vaccine boosters. Some HCWs broadly accepted the value of vaccination, and believed that boosters were necessary to effectively combat emergent new virus strains, which contrasted with peers who believed that boosters offered little defence against virus mutations. Fear prohibited some HCWs from getting the booster, with some having experienced adverse side effects from their initial vaccination, whilst others were concerned about future complications. Waning booster uptake rates could be arrested through invigorated communication strategies, while effective evidence-based training can potentially create positive normative vaccination practices amongst HCWs.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.