COVID-19 infection and vaccination rates in healthcare workers in British Columbia, Canada: A Longitudinal Urban versus Rural Analysis of the Impact of the Vaccine Mandate

Abstract

Purpose

Healthcare workers (HCWs) play a critical role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Early in the pandemic, urban centres were hit hardest globally; rural areas gradually became more impacted. We compared COVID-19 infection and vaccine uptake in HCWs living in urban versus rural locations within, and between, two health authorities in British Columbia (BC), Canada. We also analyzed the impact of a vaccine mandate for HCWs.

Methods

We tracked laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections, positivity rates, and vaccine uptake in 29,021 HCWs in Interior Health (IH) and 24,634 HCWs in Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), by occupation, age, and home location, comparing to the general population in that region. We then evaluated the impact of infection rates as well as the mandate on vaccination uptake.

Results

By October 27, 2021, the date that unvaccinated HCWs were prohibited from providing healthcare, only 1.6% in VCH yet 6.5% in IH remained unvaccinated. Rural workers in both areas had significantly higher unvaccinated rates compared with urban dwellers. Over 1,800 workers, comprising 6.4% of rural HCWs and 3.3% of urban HCWs, remained unvaccinated and set to be terminated from their employment. While the mandate prompted a significant increase in second doses, the impact on the unvaccinated was less clear.

Conclusions

As rural areas often suffer from under-staffing, loss of HCWs could have serious impacts on healthcare provision as well as on the livelihoods of unvaccinated HCWs. Greater efforts are needed to understand how to better address the drivers of rural-related vaccine hesitancy as the pandemic continues.