COVID-19 vaccine status and hesitancy in pharmacy students

The purpose of this research is to determine pharmacy students' immunization status and attitudes towards receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. It will help determine if education is needed to increase the vaccination rate and, if so, what areas to target. The study will also provide insight into vaccine hesitancy among pharmacy students.

In April 2021, a survey was sent to pharmacy students in professional years 1, 2, 3, and 4 at Western New England University in Springfield, Massachusetts. Information gathered included if the student had received and completed the vaccine series, why the student was motivated to receive the vaccine, or why they were hesitant, along with work and experiential rotation information.

The response rate to the survey was 63% (133 of 212). Eighty-six percent of the respondents were at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19. Four percent of respondents were not considering receiving the vaccine, 6% were, and another 4% were undecided. Unvaccinated students attributed their hesitancy mostly to being concerned about the vaccine's long-term effects (85%) followed by not wanting to miss an exam/class (23%). Vaccinated students were more likely to work at a site that administered the COVID-19 vaccine (81.6% vs. 50%, P = .003).

Despite the pandemic, COVID-19 vaccination rates were not higher than voluntary influenza vaccination rates. This study indicates that despite pharmacy students being witness to the risks associated with the pathogen, additional education is needed, and health care providers are not immune to misinformation and hesitancy.