Perception of Lebanese Obstetricians Toward COVID-19 Vaccination During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

INTRODUCTION: In response to the drastic complications that resulted from Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) infection, vaccines were developed to contain its rapid spread. However, concerns were raised regarding the safety of COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant and breastfeeding women. This study aimed to explore the perceptions and practices of Lebanese obstetricians regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, highlighting the barriers to recommending it. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was implemented using a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics in the form of frequencies and percentages were utilized to get an overview of obstetricians' characteristics and responses. Inferential statistics were employed to examine plausible barriers to recommending the vaccine. RESULTS: A total of 265 obstetricians were included in the study. Most of the physicians had received the vaccine themselves (254 (95.8%)) and were recommending the vaccine to all of their pregnant patients (238 (89.8%)). Lack of data about the safety of the vaccine and that of clear guidelines were the main reasons for not recommending it to all patients. Receiving the vaccine, having sufficient data about the vaccine, adequate knowledge about COVID-19 infection and vaccination, the type of vaccine, and managing patients who were exposed to COVID-19 were significant predictors of offering the vaccine. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provided an overview of Lebanese obstetricians' attitudes and practices regarding the COVID-19 vaccine and identified some of the factors that hinder the recommendation of the vaccine. Such information might be helpful to overcome the obstacles that prevent obstetricians from abiding by international recommendations, thus increasing the uptake of vaccines by pregnant women in any potential future pandemic.