Table 2 Beliefs of the vaccine accepting, vaccine refusing, and vaccine hesitant dental teaching staff of Faculty of Dentistry, Ain Shams University, Egypt (N = 171)

Have you ever postponed a vaccine recommended by the ministry of health/physician because you have doubts about it?

I don't remember

5 (50.0%)

2 (20.0%)

3 (30.0%)

10 (5.8)

< 0.01*

No

41 (37.6%)

2 (1.8%)

66 (60.6%)

109 (63.7)

Yes

34 (65.4%)

9 (17.3%)

9 (17.3%)

52 (30.4)

I am more likely to contract COVID-19 than other people because of the nature of my job.

Strongly agree/agree

55 (44.7%)

6 (4.9%)

62 (50.4%)

123 (71.9)

< 0.01*

Neutral

14 (40.0%)

7 (20.0%)

14 (40.0%)

35 (20.5)

Strongly disagree/disagree

11 (84.6%)

0 (0.0%)

2 (15.4%)

13 (7.6)

Even if I fall ill with another disease, I will not go to hospital because of risk of getting COVID-19 in the hospital.

Strongly agree/agree

26 (44.1%)

2 (3.4%)

31 (52.5%)

59 (34.5)

.484

Neutral

31 (50.0%)

6 (9.7%)

25 (40.3%)

62 (36.3)

Strongly disagree/disagree

23 (46.0%)

5 (10.0%)

22 (44.0%)

50 (29.2)

I believe I can protect myself against COVID-19 better than other people because I have a good medical background.

Strongly agree/agree

34 (47.2%)

4 (5.6%)

34 (47.2%)

72 (42.1)

.410

Neutral

30 (52.6%)

6 (10.5%)

21 (36.8%)

57 (33.3)

Strongly disagree/disagree

16 (38.1%)

3 (7.1%)

23 (54.8%)

42 (24.6)

I believe that the number of COVID-19 patients will increase in my country over the next month.

Strongly agree/agree

59 (50.9%)

6 (5.2%)

51 (44.0%)

116 (67.8)

.172

Neutral

15 (42.9%)

5 (14.3%)

15 (42.9%)

35 (20.5)

Strongly disagree/disagree

6 (30.0%)

2 (10.0%)

12 (60.0%)

20 (11.7)

I believe that community facilities such as educational institutions should be closed in the meantime.

Strongly agree/agree

55 (51.4%)

7 (6.5%)

45 (42.1%)

107 (62.6)

.079

Neutral

14 (45.2%)

5 (16.1%)

12 (38.7%)

31 (18.1)

Strongly disagree/disagree

11 (33.3%)

1 (3.0%)

21 (63.6%)

33 (19.3)

I believe that all international travel should be banned in the meantime.

Strongly agree/agree

53 (54.1%)

9 (9.2%)

36 (36.7%)

98 (57.3)

.076

Neutral

15 (39.5%)

3 (7.9%)

20 (52.6%)

38 (22.2)

Strongly disagree/disagree

12 (34.3%)

1 (2.9%)

22 (62.9%)

35 (20.5)

I expect this pandemic to get larger.

Strongly agree/agree

44 (55.0%)

6 (7.5%)

30 (37.5%)

80 (46.7)

.261

Neutral

25 (42.4%)

5 (8.5%)

29 (49.2%)

59 (34.5)

Strongly disagree/disagree

11 (34.4%)

2 (6.3%)

19 (59.4%)

32 (18.7)

Vaccines are effective at preventing diseases.

Strongly agree/agree

48 (42.9%)

5 (4.5%)

59 (52.7%)

112 (65.5)

.031*

Neutral

22 (51.2%)

7 (16.3%)

14 (32.6%)

43 (25.1)

Strongly disagree/disagree

10 (62.5%)

1 (6.3%)

5 (31.3%)

16 (9.4)

Diseases provide better immunity than vaccines do.

Strongly agree/agree

21 (53.8%)

2 (5.1%)

16 (41.0%)

39 (22.8)

.293

Neutral

44 (50.0%)

8 (9.1%)

36 (40.9%)

88 (51.5)

Strongly disagree/disagree

15 (34.1%)

3 (6.8%)

26 (59.1%)

44 (25.7)

I believe vaccines are safe.

Strongly agree/agree

14 (28.0%)

0 (0.0%)

36 (72.0%)

50 (29.2)

< 0.01*

Neutral

41 (48.2%)

8 (9.4%)

36 (42.4%)

85 (49.7)

Strongly disagree/disagree

25 (69.4%)

5 (13.9%)

6 (16.7%)

36 (21.1)

I’m concerned COVID-19 vaccine might transmit the virus to me.

Strongly agree/agree

27 (79.4%)

2 (5.9%)

5 (14.7%)

34 (19.9)

Neutral

21 (51.2%)

8 (19.5%)

12 (29.3%)

41 (24)

Strongly disagree/disagree

32 (33.3%)

3 (3.1%)

61 (63.5%)

96 (65.1)

I’m concerned about the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccination.

Strongly agree/agree

61 (57.5%)

6 (5.7%)

39 (36.8%)

106 (62)

< 0.01*

Neutral

15 (31.9%)

7 (14.9%)

25 (53.2%)

47 (27.5)

Strongly disagree/disagree

4 (22.2%)

0 (0.0%)

14 (77.8%)

18 (10.5)

I’m concerned about the safety of COVID-19 vaccination.

Strongly agree/agree

69 (60.5%)

7 (6.1%)

38 (33.3%)

114 (66.7)

< 0.01*

Neutral

7 (18.4%)

6 (15.8%)

25 (65.8%)

38 (22.2)

Strongly disagree/disagree

4 (21.1%)

0 (0.0%)

15 (78.9%)

19 (11.1)

I’m concerned about the long-term side effects of COVID-19 vaccination.

Strongly agree/agree

68 (57.1%)

9 (7.6%)

42 (35.3%)

119 (69.6)

< 0.01*

Neutral

10 (26.3%)

4 (10.5%)

24 (63.2%)

38 (22.2)

Strongly disagree/disagree

2 (14.3%)

0 (0.0%)

12 (85.7%)

14 (8.1)

I’m concerned about faulty/fake COVID-19 vaccine.

Strongly agree/agree

48 (53.3%)

7 (7.8%)

35 (38.9%)

90 (52.6)

.302

Neutral

19 (43.2%)

4 (9.1%)

21 (47.7%)

44 (25.7)

Strongly disagree/disagree

13 (35.1%)

2 (5.4%)

22 (59.5%)

37 (21.6)

I’m concerned it might affect my fertility.

Strongly agree/agree

24 (64.9%)

1 (2.7%)

12 (32.4%)

37 (21.6)

.145

Neutral

29 (42.6%)

7 (10.3%)

32 (47.1%)

68 (39.8)

Strongly disagree/disagree

27 (40.9%)

5 (7.6%)

34 (51.5%)

66 (38.6)

I’m concerned it might be teratogenic.

Strongly agree/agree

37 (60.7%)

5 (8.2%)

19 (31.1%)

61 (35.7)

.052

Neutral

26 (39.4%)

6 (9.1%)

34 (51.5%)

66 (38.6)

Strongly disagree/disagree

17 (38.6%)

2 (4.5%)

25 (56.8%)

44 (25.7)

I’m concerned I might have allergy to COVID-19 vaccine.

Strongly agree/agree

27 (58.7%)

6 (13.0%)

13 (28.3%)

46 (26.9)

.039*

Neutral

28 (43.8%)

5 (7.8%)

31 (48.4%)

64 (37.4)

Strongly disagree/disagree

25 (41.0%)

2 (3.3%)

34 (55.7%)

61 (35.7)

I’m concerned it might make my current health condition worse.

Strongly agree/agree

48 (64.0%)

7 (9.3%)

20 (26.7%)

75 (43.9)

< 0.01*

Neutral

20 (40.8%)

5 (10.2%)

24 (49.0%)

49 (28.7)

Strongly disagree/disagree

12 (25.5%)

1 (2.1%)

34 (72.3%)

47 (27.5)

I believe the duration of clinical trials was short.

Strongly agree/agree

74 (52.9%)

9 (6.4%)

57 (40.7%)

140 (81.9)

< 0.01*

Neutral

6 (30.0%)

4 (20.0%)

10 (50.0%)

20 (11.7)

Strongly disagree/disagree

0 (0.0%)

0 (0.0%)

11 (100.0%)

11 (6.4)

I will only take the COVID-19 vaccine if the vaccine is taken by many in the public.

Strongly agree/agree

36 (57.1%)

6 (9.5%)

21 (33.3%)

63 (36.8)

.018*

Neutral

25 (45.5%)

6 (10.9%)

24 (43.6%)

55 (32.1)

Strongly disagree/disagree

19 (35.8%)

1 (1.9%)

33 (62.3%)

53 (31)

I don’t trust the pharmaceutical companies that developed the COVID-19 vaccine.

Strongly agree/agree

32 (64.0%)

1 (2.0%)

17 (34.0%)

50 (29.2)

< 0.01*

Neutral

38 (50.0%)

10 (13.2%)

28 (36.8%)

76 (44.4)

Strongly disagree/disagree

10 (22.2%)

2 (4.4%)

33 (73.3%)

45 (26.3)

I believe vaccination decreases my chances of getting COVID-19 or its complications.

Strongly agree/agree

14 (19.2%)

2 (2.7%)

57 (78.1%)

73 (42.7)

< 0.01*

Neutral

45 (66.2%)

9 (13.2%)

14 (20.6%)

68 (39.8)

Strongly disagree/disagree

21 (70.0%)

2 (6.7%)

7 (23.3%)

30 (17.5)

I would get the vaccine to prevent transmitting COVID-19 to relatives/friends.

Strongly agree/agree

19 (23.2%)

4 (4.9%)

59 (72.0%)

82 (48)

< 0.01*

Neutral

37 (66.1%)

6 (10.7%)

13 (23.2%)

56 (32.7)

Strongly disagree/disagree

24 (72.7%)

3 (9.1%)

6 (18.2%)

33 (19.3)