Clinical Psychology and Special Education
2023. Vol. 12, no. 2, 118–137
doi:10.17759/cpse.2023120206
ISSN: 2304-0394 (online)
What Do Nurses Think About the Immunization Campaign in Russia and the Prospects for the COVID-19 Pandemic Development?
Abstract
Prevention and vaccination against COVID-19 are not unanimously accepted in international practice. The effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign depends on both population and medical staff attitudes towards immunoprophylaxis. We carried out an empirical study of nurses' opinions about the COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Russia and compared the results with those obtained from surveys of Russian controls. The level of vaccination coverage in the population in mid-January 2022 was assessed by surveying nurses living in different regions of Russia and directly involved in the COVID-19 vaccination campaign. We also measured nurses’ attitudes to some aspects of vaccination. 376 nurses took part in the online survey. For comparison, we used data from a sample of Russians we surveyed (N=1214). According to the nurses, on average just over 40% of Russians are vaccinated against COVID-19 (compared to the 53% officially). This subjective estimate is half the mass immunity goal (80%). In addition, the nurses living in the different regions of Russia are significantly more confident in expressing a position on mandatory mass vaccination than were the participants in an earlier sample survey of the entire Russian population. More nurses than in the quota sample of Russians believe in conspiracy theories about the coronavirus having arisen artificially to regulate the number of the poor. Most of the nurses surveyed believe that COVID-19 will never go away and that the media will support the epidemiological panic as it benefits the authorities and pharmaceutical companies.
General Information
Keywords: mass vaccination against COVID-19, vaccination campaign in Russia, herd immunity, nurses, attitudes
Journal rubric: Empirical Research
Article type: scientific article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/cpse.2023120206
Funding. The study was supported by Russian Science Foundation, project no. 22-28-01935.
Received: 18.04.2023
Accepted:
For citation: Deyneka O.S., Maksimenko A.A. What Do Nurses Think About the Immunization Campaign in Russia and the Prospects for the COVID-19 Pandemic Development? [Elektronnyi resurs]. Klinicheskaia i spetsial'naia psikhologiia = Clinical Psychology and Special Education, 2023. Vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 118–137. DOI: 10.17759/cpse.2023120206.
Full text
Introduction
Background
A European study [28] compared six nations (Danish, Israeli, Italian, French, German and Swiss) which have introduced certification (April 2020–August 2021) with 19 control nations. The researchers used daily mortality data, immunization data and country information to try to understand what might have happened in similar situations in the absence of immunization certificates. COVID-19 certification led to an increase in vaccination coverage 20 days before its introduction and a sustained effect for 40 days after. Countries with below-average coverage before the intervention had greater increases in daily doses than those with average or high coverage. The increase in coverage after certification was highest for people under 30 years of age.
Method
Results
and Descriptive Statistics (n=376)
Statements |
Components |
M (SD) |
|
F1 |
F 2 |
||
1. Mass vaccination of the Russians against COVID-19 is necessary |
0.826 |
-0.345 |
3.37 (1.33) |
2. I trust in COVID-19 vaccines |
0.827 |
-0.367 |
3.33 (1.29) |
3. Most of the people around me do not believe that COVID-19 vaccine is safe |
-0.360 |
0.392 |
3.32 (1.11) |
4. Financial bonuses to doctors working in red zones corrupt them |
0.164 |
0.701 |
2.45 (1.38) |
5. I do not believe that COVID-19 vaccines are effective |
-0.760 |
0.407 |
2.55 (1.31) |
6. Viruses like COVID-19 are artificially created for a purpose |
-0.345 |
0.560 |
3.57 (1.08) |
7. Epidemics help the rich control the population of the poor |
-0.251 |
0.682 |
2.89 (1.24) |
8. The danger of epidemics like COVID-19 is clearly exaggerated |
-0.297 |
0.565 |
2.80 (1.25) |
9. I am annoyed that the WHO still has not approved (registered) a high-quality domestic vaccine Sputnik V |
0.666 |
0.304 |
3.29 (1.13) |
Factor weight (%) |
42.2 |
19.3 |
|
(Five-Point Response Scale)
Statements |
Nurses (n=376) |
Quota sample of Russians (n=1214) |
p |
||
M |
SD |
M |
SD |
||
1. Mass vaccination of the Russians against COVID-19 is necessary |
3.37 |
1.33 |
2.98 |
1.34 |
<0.001 |
2. I trust in COVID-19 vaccines |
3.33 |
1.29 |
- |
- |
- |
3. Most of the people around me do not believe that COVID-19 vaccine is safe |
3.32 |
1.11 |
3.49 |
1.16 |
- |
4. Financial bonuses to doctors working in red zones corrupt them |
2.45 |
1.38 |
- |
- |
- |
5. I do not believe that COVID-19 vaccines are effective |
2.55 |
1.31 |
- |
- |
- |
6. Viruses like COVID-19 are artificially created for a purpose |
3.57 |
1.08 |
2.95 |
1.23 |
<0.001 |
7. Epidemics help the rich control the population of the poor |
2.89 |
1.24 |
2.43 |
1.22 |
<0.001 |
8. The danger of epidemics like COVID-19 is clearly exaggerated |
2.80 |
1.25 |
2.81 |
1.15 |
- |
9. I am annoyed that the WHO still has not approved (registered) a high-quality domestic vaccine Sputnik V |
3.29 |
1.13 |
3.08 |
1.19 |
<0.010 |
in Different Age Groups (%)
Influence group |
Nurses (n=376) |
Control sample (n=388) |
||
under 45 y.o. |
45+ y.o. |
under 45 y.o. |
45+ y.o. |
|
Representatives of state medical organizations |
43.4 |
77.1 |
41.0 |
64.2 |
Representatives of regional authorities |
1.3 |
4.0 |
4.4 |
6.4 |
Representatives of federal authorities |
2.7 |
14.1 |
3.6 |
20.9 |
Bloggers (persons who have a lot of followers on social networks) |
52.7 |
4.8 |
51.0 |
8.5 |
Table 4 shows the results of nurses' answers to the questions about the prospects for the end of COVID-19 pandemic and infodemic. Responses to the question “When do you think the epidemic caused by COVID-19 will end?” were as follows: 2022 (13.3%), 2023 (16.5%), 2024 (13.6%), COVID-19 will not go away 56.6%. In early 2022, 43.4% of nurses were optimistic about when the epidemic would end, choosing options for the next two years (2022–2024), and 56.6% believed COVID-19 would not disappear. When asked “In your opinion, when will the infodemic (“infection” with rumors, fakes and informational provocations that sow panic in social networks and the media around COVID-19 pandemic) end?”, respondents distributed themselves as follows: in 2022 – 16.0%, in 2023 – 13.6%, in 2024 – 8.8%, panic in the media will be supported, since it is beneficial to both the authorities and pharmaceutical companies – 61.7%. The estimated coverage of Russians vaccinated against COVID-19 in the nurses' group was М=42.18, SD=11.22, 10.82% less than the official figure (53%). This is just over half the target for herd immunity (80%). Nurses therefore felt pessimistic about the current situation and prospects for ending the COVID-19 pandemic.
for the End of COVID-19 Pandemic and Infodemic, and Subjective Assessment
of the Real Level of Vaccination among Russians (%)
Question 1. When do you think the epidemic caused by COVID-19 will end? |
|||||
Response options |
|||||
in 2022 |
in 2023 |
in 2024 |
COVID-19 will not go away |
||
13.3% |
16.5% |
13.6% |
56.6% |
||
Question 2. In your opinion, when will the infodemic (“infection” with rumors, fakes and informational provocations that sow panic in social networks and the media around COVID-19 pandemic) end? |
|||||
Response options |
|||||
in 2022 |
in 2023 |
in 2024 |
Panic in the media will be supported and this topic will not be released |
||
16.0 |
13.6 |
8.8 |
61.7 |
||
Question 3. According to the Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of Russia Tatyana Golikova, as of January 14, 2022, 76.7 million Russians were vaccinated against COVID-19 in the country, which is 53% of the total population. However, there is a lot of information in the media about cases when a person has a certificate of vaccination, but he did not get vaccinated against COVID-19. What percentage of Russians do you think actually got vaccinated against COVID-19? (enter any number from 0 to 100%). |
|||||
The level of vaccination of Russians |
Official statistics |
Subjective assessment of nurses |
|||
53% |
42.18%; SD=11.22% |
Correlation Analysis Results. Only one demographic factor, subjective income level, showed an association with the survey data. Nurses with higher perceived incomes were more optimistic about how long the pandemic lasted. Conversely, correlation analysis showed that the lower respondents' subjective income, the more confident they were that the pandemic would not end quickly (r=0.15, p<0.001).
Discussion
Conclusions
Research Perspectives and Limitations
The limitation of the study is that the data were obtained only on a generalized sample of nurses from different regions of the country (mainly All-Russian Nurses Association members), which does not allow us to obtain regional differences in data.
Supplementary Material
№ |
Instruments |
Samples |
||
Nurses |
1st control sample (research period: 23.10.2021–12.11.2021) |
2nd control sample |
||
1 |
Vaccination Attitude Scale |
376 |
1214 |
- |
2 |
Assessing confidence in vaccinating against COVID-19 |
376 |
- |
388 |
№ |
Group |
n |
% of men |
% women |
Average age (SD) |
1 |
Nurses |
376 |
4,5 |
95,5 |
43,01 (9,68) |
2 |
1st control sample |
1214 |
45,3 |
54,7 |
29,68 (9,70) |
3 |
2nd control sample |
388 |
46,6 |
53,4 |
42,16 (10,81) |
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