Introduction

Healthcare workers are a group particularly sensitive to the flu virus, as they are potential receptors and transmitters of the virus, and their vaccination is a cornerstone of prevention in the hospital context.

Objectives

To find out what impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on the perception of risk of contracting an infection by the Influenza virus and on the motivation for vaccination against seasonal flu by healthcare workers at a Central Hospital.

Methodology

We used a quantitative methodology, observational, analytical, cross-sectional, carried out in a convenience sampling process. The sample obtained consists of 212 healthcare workers of both sexes, aged between 20 and 66 years. The data obtained were analyzed using the computer program Microsoft Excel.

Results

After processing and analyzing the data obtained, it was observed that the rate of adherence to vaccination has increased since 2013 (up to 50%) in the 2020-2021 vaccination season. A total of 212 individuals participated in the study, predominantly female (82,1%), aged between 36 and 50 years (38.7%), working at the institution for 1-5 years (23.6%) and without predominance of professional category. The majority of participants consider having a medium/low risk of contracting seasonal flu (60.4%). Sociodemographic characteristics had no influence on risk perception. The main motivation for vaccination against seasonal flu was the context of the COVID-19 pandemic (66,0%), especially in professionals who do not get vaccinated consistently. Only about 39% of participants get vaccinated annually, and the majority (80.7%) plan to be vaccinated in the future.

Conclusions

The pandemic context accentuated the adherence of healthcare workers to vaccination against seasonal flu, however the current numbers are still below the recommended for the hospital context. Additionally, the perception of the risk of contracting seasonal flu among healthcare workers remains too low, which probably justifies the low rate of adherence to vaccination. Therefore, it is important to continue implementing measures to increase the adherence of healthcare workers to vaccination against seasonal flu.

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