Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Influenza Vaccination Compliance Among Healthcare Workers at the Primary Health Care Corporation,Qatar, 2020–2024: A Retrospective Study
Sameera ALHAJRI, Anees A ALYAFEI, Sandy SEMAAN, Maryam AL MUSLEMANI and Asma AL NUAIMI
Healthcare workers (HCWs) are a priority population for vaccination due to their high exposure risk and key role in maintaining healthcare system resilience. While COVID-19 vaccination campaigns have achieved notable success globally [1], seasonal influenza uptake remains inconsistent. This study assessed COVID-19 and seasonal influenza vaccination coverage among HCWs at the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) in Qatar between 2020 and 2024, and identified associated demographic and occupational determinants.To measure COVID-19 and seasonal influenza vaccine coverage among PHCC HCWs and analyze associations with age, gender, nationality, job role, service duration, and education.A retrospective study was conducted using data from PHCC’s electronic medical records and Human Resources Database, covering 31 health centers. All HCWs employed ≥3 months were included. Descriptive statistics summarized uptake. Chi-square tests assessed associations with demographic and occupational factors. Significance was set at p < 0.05.Among 7,463 HCWs, COVID-19 vaccine uptake was 94.05% (18,844 doses). Influenza coverage was 65.20% (4,866 HCWs, 16,533 doses), exceeding the global average of 41.7% [4] but below the WHO 75% target [2]. Higher uptake was associated with older age, non-Qatari nationality, female gender (for COVID-19), and shorter service duration (p < 0.05). Education level was significantly associated with both vaccines. Clinical role was significant only for COVID-19.COVID-19 uptake aligns with high-income country benchmarks [1], while influenza coverage remains suboptimal. Post-COVID vaccine fatigue, shifting risk perception, and reduced seasonal vaccine focus may explain this decline. Tailored strategies—such as reminders, peer modeling, and education—can improve uptake. Older HCWs showed higher compliance, consistent with global studies. Females had higher COVID-19 uptake; males had higher influenza uptake, reflecting gender-based variation. Non-Qatari staff had higher uptake, likely due to institutional requirements. While job role did not affect influenza uptake, non-clinical staff had higher COVID-19 coverage.Sustained institutional efforts are needed to reduce vaccine fatigue and improve annual influenza uptake, especially among younger, Qatari, and longer-serving HCWs. Tailored education and mandates may strengthen future compliance and protect healthcare system integrity.
