Assessing Attitudes and Participation Regarding a Pilot COVID-19 Workplace Vaccination Program in Southern Germany...

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Public Health Policy
• Epidemiology

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated rapid vaccine deployment strategies.
• Workplace vaccination programs emerged as a key public health intervention.
• Understanding employee and organizational perspectives is crucial for program success.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess employee and personnel attitudes towards a pilot COVID-19 workplace vaccination program.
• To evaluate participation rates and identify perceived advantages and disadvantages.
• To inform future workplace vaccination initiatives in Germany.

Main Methods:

• Mixed-methods study combining surveys and qualitative interviews.
• Retrospective assessment in five German companies (May/June 2021).
• Data collected from 652 employees and 10 occupational health/key personnel.

Main Results:

• High employee participation (93.8% fully immunized).
• Key advantages: flexible, time-saving, trust in occupational physicians.
• Key disadvantages: increased workload for occupational health staff, administrative burden.

Conclusions:

• Pilot COVID-19 workplace vaccination program positively assessed.
• Occupational health services play a vital role in pandemic management.
• Findings support future workplace vaccination program development, addressing organizational challenges.