Canadian health care providers' and education workers' hesitance to receive original and bivalent COVID-19 vaccines

Background: The demand for COVID-19 vaccines has diminished as the pandemic lingers. Understanding vaccine hesitancy among essential workers is important in reducing the impact of future pandemics by providing effective immunization programs delivered expeditiously. Method: Two surveys exploring COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in 2021 and 2022 were conducted in cohorts of health care providers (HCP) and education workers participating in prospective studies of COVID-19 illnesses and vaccine uptake. Demographic factors and opinions about vaccines (monovalent and bivalent) and public health measures were collected in these self-reported surveys. Modified multivariable Poisson regression was used to determine factors associated with hesitancy. Results: In 2021, 3 % of 2061 HCP and 6 % of 3417 education workers reported hesitancy (p