Introduction: Fear and concern over vaccine safety are the most common reasons for vaccine hesitancy. During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare staff are among those at high risk of contracting the virus. They are also the public’s vital source of information and in providing trust regarding COVID-19 vaccines. This study was conducted to assess perception, attitude, and vaccination acceptance towards COVID-19 vaccines among healthcare staff at Eastern Visayas Regional Medical (EVMC). Objective: To assess the perceived knowledge, attitude, and readiness to accept COVID-19 Vaccines among Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVMC) healthcare staff. Methods: This analytic cross-sectional study included all medical and allied personnel employed at EVMC. Data were collected with signed consent through self-administration of a researcher-developed validated questionnaire, subsequently analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: About 634 participated, many belonged to the age group 30-39 years old (47.8%), mostly female (66.3%), single (50 %), and Roman Catholic (89.4%). Data showed no significant relationship between age, sex, marital status, religion, and the presence of chronic illness of the healthcare staff towards perceived knowledge, attitude, and readiness towards the COVID-19 vaccine. However, their clinical role was noted as significant towards their perceived knowledge and attitude (p-value = <.001). Overall, the healthcare staff response showed a moderate to high perceived knowledge and attitude about COVID-19 vaccine acceptance (p-value= <.001). Conclusions Notably, the clinical role of healthcare staff is significantly related to their perceived knowledge and attitude towards the COVID-19 vaccine. Moreover, they manifested moderate to high levels of perceived knowledge, attitude, and COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. These results may help address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, thus strengthen vaccine confidence among the general population. Furthermore, it provides inputs to create strategies that will enhance vaccine literacy and acceptance, directly addressing the community’s concerns and misconceptions, particularly those vulnerable groups that may easily contract severe infection.
COVID-19 Vaccines ; Attitude