COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and vaccine passports: Vaccination or restriction?

Objectives: While the development of vaccines against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) brought the hope of establishing herd immunity, which might help end the global pandemic, vaccine hesitancy can hinder the progress towards herd immunity. In this study, we assess the determinants of vaccine hesitancy, reasons for hesitation, and effectiveness of vaccine passports in relaxing public health restrictions. Methods: Through an online survey that includes a conjoint experiment of a demographically representative sample of 5,000 Japanese adults aged 20-74, we assess the determinants of vaccine hesitancy, reasons for hesitation, and effectiveness of hypothetical vaccine passports. Results: We found that about 30% of respondents did not intend to vaccinate or have not yet decided, with major reasons for vaccine hesitancy being related to concerns about the safety and side effects of the vaccine. In line with previous findings, younger age, lower socioeconomic status, and psychological factors such as weaker COVID-19 fear were associated with vaccine hesitancy. The easing of public health restrictions such as travel, wearing face masks, and dining out at night was associated with an increase in vaccine acceptance by 4-10%. Conclusion: Vaccine hesitancy can be reduced by mitigating the concerns about vaccine safety and side effects, as well as by relaxing public health restrictions. However, the feasibility of vaccine passports needs to be sufficiently assessed, taking the ethical issues of passports and the public health impacts of the relaxation of restrictions into careful consideration.

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COVID-19 Vaccine Perceptions and Differences by Sex, Age, and Education in 1,367 Community Adults in Ontario

Frontiers in Public Health ◽

10.3389/fpubh.2021.719665 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Sabrina K. Syan ◽

Mahmood R. Gohari ◽

Emily E. Levitt ◽

Kyla Belisario ◽

Jessica Gillard ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Side Effects ◽

Vaccine Safety ◽

Bachelor's Degree ◽

Vaccine Uptake ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Online Assessment ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

To Receive

Background: COVID-19 is a global pandemic and vaccination efforts may be impeded by vaccine hesitancy. The present study examined willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, the associated reasons for willingness/unwillingness, and vaccine safety perceptions in a cross-sectional assessment of community adults in Ontario.Methods: One thousand three hundred sixty seven individuals (60.6% female, mean age = 37.5%) participated in this study between January 15, 2021 and February 15, 2021. Perceptions of vaccine safety and reasons for willingness/unwillingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine were investigated using an online assessment. Perceptions were investigated in general and by age, sex and education using analysis of variance.Results: Overall, 82.8% of the sample reported they were willing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and 17.2% reported they were unwilling. The three most common reasons for unwillingness were long-term side effects (65.5%), immediate side effects (60.5%), and lack of trust in the vaccine (55.2%). Vaccine willingness significantly differed by sex and education level, with female participants and those with less than a bachelor's degree being more likely to report unwillingness. Perception of COVID-19 vaccine safety was significantly lower (−10.3%) than vaccines in general and differed by age, sex and education, with females, older adults, and individuals with less than a bachelor's degree reporting lower perceived COVID-19 vaccine safety.Conclusion: In this sample of community adults, the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy rate was less than one in five individuals, but with higher rates in population subgroups. Targeting public health messaging to females and individuals with less than bachelor's degree, and addressing concerns about long-term and immediate side effects may increase vaccine uptake.

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Acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination at different hypothetical efficacy and safety levels in ten countries in Asia, Africa, and South America

Narra J ◽

10.52225/narra.v1i3.55 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 1 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Dott F. Rosiello ◽

Samsul Anwar ◽

Amanda Yufika ◽

Rashed Y. Adam ◽

Mohajer IH. Ismaeil ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Side Effects ◽

Online Survey ◽

Vaccine Safety ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

South American ◽

Efficacy And Safety ◽

African Countries ◽

Vaccine Acceptance ◽

Safety And Efficacy ◽

Acceptance Rates

Vaccine hesitancy, defined as the reluctance or rejection in receiving a vaccine despite its availability, represents a major challenge to global health efforts aiming to control the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding the possible factors correlated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy using a refined well-informed approach can be helpful to address the phenomenon. The current study aimed to evaluate COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates using four hypothetical scenarios of varying levels of vaccine efficacy and safety profiles in ten Asian, African and South American countries. These scenarios included: 95% efficacy and 20% side effects (Vaccine A), 75% efficacy and 5% side effects (Vaccine B); 75% efficacy and 20% side effects (Vaccine C) and 50% efficacy and 5% side effects (Vaccine D). This study used a self-administered online survey that was distributed during February–May 2021. The total number of study respondents was 1337 with countries of residence as follows: India (21.1%), Pakistan (12.9%), Sudan (11.2%), Nigeria (9.3%), Iran (8.2%), Bangladesh and Brazil (7.9%), Chile (7.7%), Tunisia (7.6%), and Egypt (6.2%). The overall acceptance rates for COVID-19 vaccination were variable based on varying degrees of safety and efficacy as follows: 55.6% for Vaccine C, 58.3% for Vaccine D, 74.0% for Vaccine A and 80.1% for Vaccine B. The highest levels of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance were observed in Brazil followed by Chile across the four different safety and efficacy scenarios. The lowest COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates were reported in Egypt and Tunisia for the low safety scenarios (20% side effects), and the low efficacy scenario (50% efficacy). The study revealed the potential effect of vaccine safety and efficacy on the intention to get COVID-19 vaccination. At the same efficacy level, higher possibility of side effects caused a large drop in COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rate. This indicates the importance of accurate communication regarding vaccine safety and efficacy on attitude towards the vaccine and intentions to get vaccinated. Regional differences in COVID-19 vaccine acceptance were observed with the Middle East/North African countries showing the lowest rates and the South American countries displaying the highest vaccine acceptance rates.

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Would Parents Get Their Children Vaccinated Against SARS-CoV-2? Rate and Predictors of Vaccine Hesitancy According to a Survey over 5000 Families from Bologna, Italy

Vaccines ◽

10.3390/vaccines9040366 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 366

Author(s):

Marco Montalti ◽

Flavia Rallo ◽

Federica Guaraldi ◽

Lapo Bartoli ◽

Giulia Po ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Online Survey ◽

Vaccination Campaign ◽

Herd Immunity ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Web Based ◽

Safe School ◽

Efficacy Trials ◽

Adolescent Vaccination ◽

Web Social ◽

Mandatory Vaccination

In the near future, COVID-19 vaccine efficacy trials in larger cohorts may offer the possibility to implement child and adolescent vaccination. The opening of the vaccination for these strata may play a key role in order to limit virus circulation, infection spreading towards the most vulnerable subjects, and plan safe school reopening. Vaccine hesitancy (VH) could limit the ability to reach the coverage threshold required to ensure herd immunity. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and determinants of VH among parents/guardians toward a potentially available COVID-19 vaccination for children and adolescents. An online survey was performed in parents/guardians of children aged <18 years old, living in Bologna. Overall, 5054 questionnaires were collected. A vast majority (60.4%) of the parents/guardians were inclined to vaccinate, while 29.6% were still considering the opportunity, and 9.9% were hesitant. Highest vaccine hesitancy rates were detected in female parents/guardians of children aged 6–10 years, ≤29 years old, with low educational level, relying on information found in the web/social media, and disliking mandatory vaccination policies. Although preliminary, these data could help in designing target strategies to implement adherence to a vaccination campaign, with special regard to web-based information.

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Factors Influencing SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Acceptance and Hesitancy in a Population-Based Sample in Italy

Vaccines ◽

10.3390/vaccines9060633 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. 633

Author(s):

Marco Del Riccio ◽

Sara Boccalini ◽

Lisa Rigon ◽

Massimiliano Alberto Biamonte ◽

Giuseppe Albora ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Online Survey ◽

Adult Population ◽

Herd Immunity ◽

Population Based ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

Major Barrier ◽

Trust In Institutions ◽

General Adult Population ◽

High Level

Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 represents an effective and safe tool to protect the population against the disease; however, COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy could be a major barrier to achieving herd immunity. Despite the severity of the current pandemic, the population’s intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19 is still not clear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19 among a convenience sample of the general population resident in Italy and the factors associated with hesitancy and acceptance of the vaccine in the context of the current pandemic before the rolling out of COVID-19 vaccines. An anonymous online survey was diffused among a general adult population living in Italy. Participants aged 18 or older and living in Italy were considered eligible. Incomplete questionnaires were excluded. Overall, 7605 valid questionnaires were collected. Most of the participants (81.9%) were inclined to get vaccinated; male sex (OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.12–1.71), a high level of trust in institutions (OR 3.93, 95% CI 2.04–7.83), and personal beliefs about high safety of COVID-19 vaccines (OR 56.33, 95% CI 31.57–105.87) were found to be among the significant predictors of COVID-19 acceptance. These data could help design larger studies to address the problem of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the current pandemic.

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Understanding vaccine hesitancy: the evidence

Practice Nursing ◽

10.12968/pnur.2021.32.7.282 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 32 (7) ◽

pp. 282-287

Author(s):

Alison While

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Herd Immunity ◽

Public Health Intervention ◽

Health Intervention ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Important Public Health ◽

Positive Attitudes ◽

The Uk

Vaccine hesitancy is a concern both globally and within the UK. Alison While reviews the evidence relating to vaccine hesitancy, its underlying factors and the sociodemographic variations Vaccination is an important public health intervention, but its effectiveness depends upon the uptake of vaccination reaching sufficient levels to yield ‘herd’ immunity. While the majority of the UK hold positive attitudes about vaccination, some people, including health professionals, decline vaccinations. This article reviews the evidence relating to vaccine hesitancy, its underlying factors and the sociodemographic variations.

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Vaccine refusal/hesitancy—the ethical point of view

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckab120.029 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 31 (Supplement_2) ◽

Author(s):

João Gentil

Keyword(s):

Ethical Issues ◽

Vaccination Campaign ◽

Herd Immunity ◽

Cost Benefit ◽

Point Of View ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Moral Conflicts ◽

Vaccination Programs ◽

Individual Level ◽

Vaccine Refusal

Abstract Background In 2019, WHO classified vaccine hesitancy as one of the top 10 threats to global health. Vaccination is an area of excellence in nursing that has gained a new focus and has become a challenge in the provision of care and in the management field. Vaccine hesitation raises questions about mandatory vaccination, individual versus collective freedom that are highlighted in the current context due to the emergence of new vaccines. In this paper, we want to analyze and update knowledge about vaccines hesitancy from an ethical and bioethical perspective. Methods A combination of literature reviews on vaccine refusal/hesitancy, ethics and COVID-19 vaccine confidence, accessed on SciELO and PubMed databases and analysis of documents from General Directorate of Health and Ordem dos Enfermeiros (National Nurses Association). Results Vaccination programs aim is a collective protection. The desirable effects at individual level do not have the same ethical value at collective level, leading to cost-benefit imbalances. Moral conflicts between the individual and the collective, cost-benefit imbalances and the insufficiency of bioethics principles, lead us to the use of other moral values and principles, such as responsibility, solidarity and social justice, as a tool for ethical reflection problems related to COVID-19 vaccines. Conclusions There are no perfect solutions to ethical dilemmas and some optimal solutions could depend the context. In a pandemic situation, one of the most relevant ethical issues is the herd immunity since it leaves public health at risk. Equity and the principle of justice in vaccination campaign are shown daily in the nursing profession.

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Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccination Willingness among Health Care Workers: A Quick Online Survey in India

Korean Journal of Family Medicine ◽

10.4082/kjfm.21.0071 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 42 (6) ◽

pp. 445-452

Author(s):

Rajesh Kumar ◽

Kalpana Beniwal ◽

Yogesh Bahurupi ◽

Ravi Kant ◽

Mukesh Bairwa

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Perceived Risk ◽

Online Survey ◽

Vaccine Safety ◽

Economic Effects ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Multinomial Regression ◽

Chi Square ◽

Care Workers

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a large number of deaths along with severe socio-economic effects. The vaccine is considered to be the last hope to control viral transmission. This study aimed to explore the determinants of health care workers’ (HCWs) willingness to take the COVID-19 vaccination.Methods: A structured, pre-validated, and pre-tested questionnaire was administered online to 599 HCWs including physicians, residents, and nurses from different types of healthcare set-ups across India. Information was collected regarding vaccine acceptability, attitude toward vaccination, and reasons for hesitancy. The chi-square test, followed by multinomial regression analysis, was applied to determine the factors associated with HCWs’ vaccination willingness.Results: It was found that 73 % (n=437) of HCWs were willing to accept the vaccines, while 10.85% (n=65) refused and 16.2% (n=96) needed more time to decide. Gender (P<0.001), occupation (P=0.040), working as front-line workers (P=0.008), vaccine manufacturing country preferences (P<0.001), and perceived risk of catching COVID-19 in the next 6 months (P=0.005) had a significant association with intent to receive vaccination (the response were “yes” vs. “no” and “not sure”). The reasons for vaccine hesitancy were vaccine safety and efficacy concerns, antivaccine attitude and beliefs, personal choice, and not wanting to take a vaccine before others.Conclusion: The majority of HCWs agreed to take COVID-19 vaccines once available. Nevertheless, providing support to manage evolving vaccine environments will help change the perception of HCWs who refuse or are reluctant to take the vaccines.

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Predicting COVID-19 Vaccination Intention: The Determinants of Vaccine Hesitancy

Vaccines ◽

10.3390/vaccines9101161 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (10) ◽

pp. 1161

Author(s):

Nuno Fernandes ◽

Daniela Costa ◽

Diogo Costa ◽

José Keating ◽

Joana Arantes

Keyword(s):

Psychological Factors ◽

Online Survey ◽

Herd Immunity ◽

Personal Characteristics ◽

Policy Decision ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Attitudes And Beliefs ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

Domain Specific ◽

Main Determinants

Do people want to be vaccinated against COVID-19? Herd immunity is dependent on individuals’ willingness to be vaccinated since vaccination is not mandatory. Our main goal was to investigate people’s intention to be vaccinated and their intentions to vaccinate their children. Moreover, we were interested in understanding the role of the personal characteristics, psychological factors, and the lockdown context on that decision. Therefore, we conducted an online survey during the lockdown in Portugal (15 January 2021 until 14 March 2021). Participants completed a socio-demographic questionnaire, questions about their intentions of being vaccinated, concerns about the vaccine, a COVID-19 attitudes and beliefs scale, a COVID-19 vaccine attitudes and beliefs scale, and the Domain-Specific Risk-Taking (DOSPERT) Scale. Our results showed that from the 649 participants, 63% of the participants reported being very likely to have the vaccine, while 60% reported being very likely to vaccinate their children. We conducted two linear regression models, explaining 65% of the variance for personal vaccination and 56% of the variance for children vaccination. We found that the COVID-19 vaccine general beliefs and attitudes were the main determinants of vaccination intention. Additionally, our proposed artificial neural network model was able to predict with 85% accuracy vaccination intention. Thus, our results suggest that psychological factors are an essential determinant of vaccination intention. Thus, public policy decision makers may use these insights for predicting vaccine hesitancy and designing effective vaccination communication strategies.

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Prevalence and Determinants of Vaccine Hesitancy in Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal [SQUMJ] ◽

10.18295/squmj.4.2021.023 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Youssef Ali Alqahtani ◽

Khalid Hussein Almutairi ◽

Yahya Mohammed Alqahtani ◽

Ahmed Hussein Almutlaq ◽

Anas Ali Asiri

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Demographic Data ◽

Herd Immunity ◽

Vaccine Safety ◽

Vaccination Schedule ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Safety And Efficacy ◽

Childhood Vaccines ◽

Child Vaccination

Objectives: Vaccination is the provision of a vaccine to initiate immunity trough stimulating immune system to develop protection from a certain disease. When a sufficiently large proportion of a population has been vaccinated, herd immunity initiated. The effectiveness of vaccination has been widely studied and verified. Although the harsh vaccine safety systems, some parents remain minded regarding the safety of the childhood vaccines and immunization schedule. These hesitations pushed some parents to not allow their children to receive some or all the scheduled vaccines. The aim of the study is to assess the general population awareness regarding vaccines and to detect prevalence of vaccine hesitancy in Aseer region, southern of Saudi Arabia. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional approach was used targeting all parents in Aseer region. Data were collected using structured questionnaire which developed by the researchers after intensive literature review and expert’s consultation. The questionnaire data included parents’ socio-demographic data, parents’ awareness regarding child vaccines safety and efficacy, parents’ attitude and adherence to children vaccination and hesitancy towards vaccines. Results: The survey included 796 participants whose ages ranged from 18 to 55 years old. Two thirds (63.4%) of the participants were females. Regarding vaccination adherence and hesitancy among participants, more than three quarters were completely adherent to the child vaccination schedule and only 3.9% were non adherent. As for participants awareness regarding child vaccination safety and efficacy, 89.3% of the respondents agreed on that vaccination keep child healthy, 84.2% reported that child vaccine is safe and effective, 83.4% said that all Saudi scheduled vaccines are effective. Conclusion: In conclusion, the study revealed that vaccine hesitancy among participants was not low and should be considered irrespective of their high awareness level. The recorded antivaccine action was mostly related to vaccines safety not efficacy. Keywords: Vaccine hesitancy, antivaccine movement, parents, awareness, adherence

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Roots, Rights and Risk: Canada, Childhood and the COVID-19 Global Pandemic.

Canadian Journal of Children s Rights / Revue canadienne des droits des enfants ◽

10.22215/cjcr.v8i1.2814 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 13-33

Author(s):

Sarah Ciotti ◽

Shannon Moore ◽

Maureen Connolly ◽

Trent Newmeyer

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Economic Status ◽

Qualitative Research Study ◽

Rights Of The Child ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

Constructions Of Childhood ◽

Media Reports ◽

Novel Coronavirus ◽

The Impact

The COVID-19 global pandemic highlights pre-existing inequities as well as the challenge of ensuring the protection of children’s human rights in countries like Canada that have ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. SARS-CoV-2, referred to as the 2019 novel Coronavirus disease or COVID-19, presents a significant threat to public health. Although children are considered to be low risk of contracting, spreading, and serious complications of the disease, are considerably impacted by COVID-19 government-sanctioned distancing measures. COVID-19 is a persistent public health threat, thus, the long-term consequences are largely unknown. This qualitative research study, a content analysis of online Canadian media reports of COVID-19 and children, engaged transdisciplinary social justice methodology, social constructions of childhood at the intersection of race, socio-economic status, gender, and disability. The findings suggest COVID-19 reinforces the impact of social exclusion and economic disparity on equity-seeking young people and families in Canada.

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