The protective effect of emergency fourth-dose vaccination issued to county-level hospital nurses against the Omicron infection peak: evidence from China
Abstract Background County-level hospitals are the main providers of health services in rural areas in China. On the eve of the Chinese government’s plan to lift the Zero-COVID policy, a number of healthcare workers in county-level hospitals received emergency fourth-dose vaccination against COVID-1...
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2025-05-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-025-03172-z |
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| author | Lanyue Zhang Lei Yang Wuping Zhou Weiyan Jian |
| author_facet | Lanyue Zhang Lei Yang Wuping Zhou Weiyan Jian |
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| description | Abstract Background County-level hospitals are the main providers of health services in rural areas in China. On the eve of the Chinese government’s plan to lift the Zero-COVID policy, a number of healthcare workers in county-level hospitals received emergency fourth-dose vaccination against COVID-19. This study aims to evaluate the extent to which these rapid emergency fourth-dose vaccination administered to county-level hospital nurses have provided protection against the Omicron infection wave affecting Mainland China. Methods A total of 3,302 clinical nurses from 40 county-level hospitals in mainland China participated in this study. The control group was set to comprise nurses who had not received a fourth dose within the past month or indeed any dose of the COVID-19 vaccine within the previous 6 months. The intervention group was set to comprise nurses who received emergency fourth-dose vaccine doses within the month preceding the lifting of the Zero-COVID policy and those who had not received such a fourth-dose within the prior month but who had received a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine within the previous 6 months. Regression methods were used to analyze the factors associated with the probability of symptoms, duration, recovery time and hospitalization rates. Results About 13.1% of the nurses surveyed reported having received the emergency fourth-dose vaccination. It emerged that those nurses had a lower risk of developing clinical symptoms such as fever and diarrhea. Where they did experience symptoms, the duration of these tended to be shorter, with an accompanying and significant reduction in hospitalization rates. It was also found that emergency vaccination was associated with significantly shorter recovery time. Conclusions The emergency fourth-dose COVID-19 vaccination has had a significant protective effect. At a broader level, reducing hesitancy towards booster shots is an important part of protecting the health of healthcare workers and thereby reducing the impact of the pandemic on the healthcare system and maintaining its resilience. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2a4e9f4e16c341cbbb75dd09a26d9c44 |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
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| series | BMC Nursing |
| spelling | doaj-art-2a4e9f4e16c341cbbb75dd09a26d9c442025-08-20T02:32:06ZengBMCBMC Nursing1472-69552025-05-0124111010.1186/s12912-025-03172-zThe protective effect of emergency fourth-dose vaccination issued to county-level hospital nurses against the Omicron infection peak: evidence from ChinaLanyue Zhang0Lei Yang1Wuping Zhou2Weiyan Jian3Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, Peking UniversityHenan Honliv HospitalDepartment of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, Peking UniversityDepartment of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, Peking UniversityAbstract Background County-level hospitals are the main providers of health services in rural areas in China. On the eve of the Chinese government’s plan to lift the Zero-COVID policy, a number of healthcare workers in county-level hospitals received emergency fourth-dose vaccination against COVID-19. This study aims to evaluate the extent to which these rapid emergency fourth-dose vaccination administered to county-level hospital nurses have provided protection against the Omicron infection wave affecting Mainland China. Methods A total of 3,302 clinical nurses from 40 county-level hospitals in mainland China participated in this study. The control group was set to comprise nurses who had not received a fourth dose within the past month or indeed any dose of the COVID-19 vaccine within the previous 6 months. The intervention group was set to comprise nurses who received emergency fourth-dose vaccine doses within the month preceding the lifting of the Zero-COVID policy and those who had not received such a fourth-dose within the prior month but who had received a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine within the previous 6 months. Regression methods were used to analyze the factors associated with the probability of symptoms, duration, recovery time and hospitalization rates. Results About 13.1% of the nurses surveyed reported having received the emergency fourth-dose vaccination. It emerged that those nurses had a lower risk of developing clinical symptoms such as fever and diarrhea. Where they did experience symptoms, the duration of these tended to be shorter, with an accompanying and significant reduction in hospitalization rates. It was also found that emergency vaccination was associated with significantly shorter recovery time. Conclusions The emergency fourth-dose COVID-19 vaccination has had a significant protective effect. At a broader level, reducing hesitancy towards booster shots is an important part of protecting the health of healthcare workers and thereby reducing the impact of the pandemic on the healthcare system and maintaining its resilience.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-025-03172-zEmergency vaccinationHealthcare workersCOVID-19 vaccineRural China |
| spellingShingle | Lanyue Zhang Lei Yang Wuping Zhou Weiyan Jian The protective effect of emergency fourth-dose vaccination issued to county-level hospital nurses against the Omicron infection peak: evidence from China BMC Nursing Emergency vaccination Healthcare workers COVID-19 vaccine Rural China |
| title | The protective effect of emergency fourth-dose vaccination issued to county-level hospital nurses against the Omicron infection peak: evidence from China |
| title_full | The protective effect of emergency fourth-dose vaccination issued to county-level hospital nurses against the Omicron infection peak: evidence from China |
| title_fullStr | The protective effect of emergency fourth-dose vaccination issued to county-level hospital nurses against the Omicron infection peak: evidence from China |
| title_full_unstemmed | The protective effect of emergency fourth-dose vaccination issued to county-level hospital nurses against the Omicron infection peak: evidence from China |
| title_short | The protective effect of emergency fourth-dose vaccination issued to county-level hospital nurses against the Omicron infection peak: evidence from China |
| title_sort | protective effect of emergency fourth dose vaccination issued to county level hospital nurses against the omicron infection peak evidence from china |
| topic | Emergency vaccination Healthcare workers COVID-19 vaccine Rural China |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-025-03172-z |
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