Healthcare Workers' Knowledge and Perception of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant: A Multinational Cross-Sectional Study

Akshaya Srikanth Bhagavathula; Mohammadjavad Ashrafi Mahabadi; Wubshet Tesfaye; Kesavan Rajasekharan Nayar; Vijay Kumar Chattu

doi:10.3390/healthcare10030438

Healthcare Workers' Knowledge and Perception of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant: A Multinational Cross-Sectional Study

Healthcare (Basel). 2022 Feb 25;10(3):438. doi: 10.3390/healthcare10030438.

Authors

Akshaya Srikanth Bhagavathula¹, Mohammadjavad Ashrafi Mahabadi², Wubshet Tesfaye³, Kesavan Rajasekharan Nayar⁴, Vijay Kumar Chattu^{5

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Affiliations

¹ Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain 17666, United Arab Emirates.
² Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 14665-354, Iran.
³ Sydney Pharmacy School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
⁴ Global Institute of Public Health, Ananthapuri Hospitals and Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram 695024, India.
⁵ School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada.
⁶ Center for Transdisciplinary Research, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technological Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai 600077, India.
⁷ Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences, Wardha 442107, India.

Abstract

In late November 2021, a new SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern (VOC) named Omicron (initially named B.1.1.529) was first detected in South Africa. The rapid spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant became globally dominant, and the currently available COVID-19 vaccines showed less protection against this variant. This study aimed to investigate healthcare workers' (HCWs) knowledge and perceptions about the novel SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. A cross-sectional anonymous electronic survey concerning the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant was conducted among HCWs during the second week of January 2022. The survey instrument was distributed through social media among HCWs to explore awareness (2 items), knowledge (10 items), source of information (1 item), and perceptions (10 items). Respondents who answered ≥80% of the items correctly were considered as having good knowledge and perception. A total of 940 of the 1054 HCW participants completed the survey (response rate: 89.1%); they had a mean age of 31.2 ± 11.2 years, most were doctors (45.7%), and most were from Asia (64.3%). All the participants were aware of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant (100%). Only 36.3% attended lectures/discussions about Omicron and used news media to obtain information. Only a quarter of the HCWs demonstrated good knowledge (24.3%, n = 228) and perception (20.6%) about Omicron. However, while significant differences were observed in the knowledge and perception among HCWs, only a small proportion of doctors exhibited good knowledge (13%) and perception (10%) about the Omicron variant. HCWs who had participated in training/discussion related to the Omicron variant were more likely to have higher knowledge and perception scores (odds ratio: 1.80; 95% confidence interval: 1.04-3.11). As the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant spreads rapidly across the globe, ongoing educational interventions are warranted to improve knowledge and perceptions of HCWs.

Keywords: COVID-19; Omicron; SARS-CoV-2; attitude; awareness; health professionals; knowledge; perceptions; prevention; survey.