The findings of a survey on the intent of hospital doctors and nurses to get vaccinated against COVID-19 show that 50% of the physicians and 60% of the nurses polled have sais they will take the vaccine, the Jutarnji List daily said on Tuesday.
Fewer than 50% of doctors in the Zagreb-based University Hospital Centre have said that they would be vaccinated, and more than 60% of its nurses have signed their approval for inoculation in a survey that was launched last week.
KB Sveti Duh, another hospital in Zagreb, has a different situation with more doctors being ready for COVID-19 jabs. A half of the medical staff in Zagreb’s KBC Sestre Milosrdnice hospital say they are going to be vaccinated against the novel virus.
The Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ) commented on the findings, saying that the figures would rise when first batches of vaccinations have been delivered to Croatia.
However, the figures about a low turnout of medical professionals for flu shots does not instill hope, the Zagreb-based newspaper says.
The ratio of willingness to accept vaccination and hesitancy among healthcare workers in Croatia is similar to the situation in other countries. For instance, in Great Britain, rollout of the Pfizer-BionTech vaccination has started, and similar surveys have shown that 4 in 10 employees in health institutions are ready to be vaccinated.
Intent to get vaccinated in old-age care homes varies across counties
When it comes to surveys conducted in retirement homes in Croatia, the biggest hesitance for vaccination has been shown in coastal areas.
In Split-Dalmatia County, a mere 29% of the staff in the homes covered by survey seems willing to be vaccinated, however, as many as two thirds of beneficiaries have said they would be vaccinated.
In Sibenik-Knin County, only 13% of the staff and in Istria a quarter of the staff have shown readiness.
In the northern county of Medjimurje, as many as 68% of the employees in old-age care homes have said they are going to be vaccinated, the daily reported.
