scholarly journals COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Worldwide: A Concise Systematic Review of Vaccine Acceptance Rates

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 160
Author(s):  
Malik Sallam
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
General Public ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Decisive Role ◽  
Initial Step ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Vaccine Acceptance ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
Acceptance Rates

Utility of vaccine campaigns to control coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) is not merely dependent on vaccine efficacy and safety. Vaccine acceptance among the general public and healthcare workers appears to have a decisive role in the successful control of the pandemic. The aim of this review was to provide an up-to-date assessment of COVID-19 vaccination acceptance rates worldwide. A systematic search of the peer-reviewed English survey literature indexed in PubMed was done on 25 December 2020. Results from 31 peer-reviewed published studies met the inclusion criteria and formed the basis for the final COVID-19 vaccine acceptance estimates. Survey studies on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates were found from 33 different countries. Among adults representing the general public, the highest COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates were found in Ecuador (97.0%), Malaysia (94.3%), Indonesia (93.3%) and China (91.3%). However, the lowest COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates were found in Kuwait (23.6%), Jordan (28.4%), Italy (53.7), Russia (54.9%), Poland (56.3%), US (56.9%), and France (58.9%). Only eight surveys among healthcare workers (doctors and nurses) were found, with vaccine acceptance rates ranging from 27.7% in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to 78.1% in Israel. In the majority of survey studies among the general public stratified per country (29/47, 62%), the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination showed a level of ≥70%. Low rates of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance were reported in the Middle East, Russia, Africa and several European countries. This could represent a major problem in the global efforts to control the current COVID-19 pandemic. More studies are recommended to address the scope of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Such studies are particularly needed in the Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Middle and South America. Addressing the scope of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in various countries is recommended as an initial step for building trust in COVID-19 vaccination efforts.

scholarly journals COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy worldwide: a systematic review of vaccine acceptance rates

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malik Sallam
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
General Public ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Decisive Role ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Vaccine Acceptance ◽  
East Russia ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
Acceptance Rates

AbstractIntroductionUtility of vaccine campaigns to control coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is not merely dependent on vaccine efficacy and safety. Vaccine acceptance among the general public and the healthcare workers, appears to have a decisive role for successful control of the pandemic.AimTo provide an up-to-date assessment of COVID-19 vaccination acceptance rates worldwide.MethodsA systematic search of the peer-reviewed English survey literature indexed in PubMed was done on December 25, 2020. Results from 30 studies, met the inclusion criteria and formed the basis for final COVID-19 vaccine acceptance estimates. Results of an additional recent survey from Jordan and Kuwait was considered in this review as well.ResultsSurvey studies on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates were found from 33 different countries. Among adults representing the general public, the highest COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates were found in Ecuador (97.0%), Malaysia (94.3%), Indonesia (93.3%) and China (91.3%). On the other hand, the lowest COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates were found in Kuwait (23.6%), Jordan (28.4%), Italy (53.7), Russia (54.9%), Poland (56.3%), US (56.9%), and France (58.9%). Only eight surveys among healthcare workers (doctors, nurses) were found, with vaccine acceptance rates ranging from 27.7% in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to 78.1% in Israel. In a majority of survey studies among the general public (62%), the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination showed a level of ≥ 70%.ConclusionsLow rates of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance were reported in the Middle East, Russia, Africa and several European countries. This could represent a major problem in the global efforts that aim to control the current COVID-19 pandemic. More studies are recommended to address the scope of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Such studies are particularly needed in the Middle East Africa, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Middle and Latin America.Graphical AbstractCOVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates worldwideFor countries with more than one survey study, the vaccine acceptance rate of the latest survey was used in this graph. The estimates were also based on studies from the general population, except in the following cases were no studies from the general public were found (Australia: parents/guardians; DRC: healthcare workers; Hong Kong: healthcare workers; Malta: healthcare workers).

scholarly journals COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Worldwide: A Systematic Review of Vaccine Acceptance Rates

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malik Sallam
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
General Public ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Decisive Role ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Vaccine Acceptance ◽  
Vaccination Acceptance ◽  
East Russia ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
Acceptance Rates

Utility of vaccine campaigns to control coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is not merely dependent on vaccine efficacy and safety. Vaccine acceptance among the general public and the healthcare workers, appears to have a decisive role for successful control of the pandemic. The aim of this review was to provide an up-to-date assessment of COVID-19 vaccination acceptance rates worldwide. A systematic search of the peer-reviewed English survey literature indexed in PubMed was done on December 25, 2020. Results from 30 studies, met the inclusion criteria and formed the basis for final COVID-19 vaccine acceptance estimates. Results of an additional recent survey from Jordan and Kuwait was considered in this review as well. Survey studies on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates were found from 33 different countries. Among adults representing the general public, the highest COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates were found in Ecuador (97.0%), Malaysia (94.3%), Indonesia (93.3%) and China (91.3%). On the other hand, the lowest COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates were found in Kuwait (23.6%), Jordan (28.4%), Italy (53.7), Russia (54.9%), Poland (56.3%), US (56.9%), and France (58.9%). Only eight surveys among healthcare workers (doctors, nurses) were found, with vaccine acceptance rates ranging from 27.7% in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to 78.1% in Israel. In a majority of survey studies among the general public (62%), the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination showed a level of ≥ 70%. Low rates of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance were reported in the Middle East, Russia, Africa and several European countries. This could represent a major problem in the global efforts that aim to control the current COVID-19 pandemic. More studies are recommended to address the scope of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Such studies are particularly needed in the Middle East Africa, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Middle and Latin America.

scholarly journals Healthcare worker intentions to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and reasons for hesitancy: A survey of 16,158 health system employees on the eve of vaccine distribution

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle N. Meyer ◽  
Tamara Gjorgjieva ◽  
Daniel Rosica
Keyword(s):  
Health System ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Response Rate ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Vaccine Acceptance ◽  
Population Immunity ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Acceptance Rates ◽  
Vaccine Distribution ◽  
To Receive

AbstractHealthcare workers (HCWs) have been recommended to receive first priority for limited COVID-19 vaccines. They have also been identified as potential ambassadors of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, helping to ensure that sufficient members of a hesitant public accept COVID-19 vaccines to achieve population immunity. Yet HCWs themselves have shown vaccine hesitancy in other contexts and the few prior surveys of U.S. HCW intentions to receive a COVID-19 vaccine report acceptance rates of only 28% to 34%. However, it is unknown whether HCW acceptance remains low following mid-November announcements of the efficacy of the first COVID-19 vaccines and the issuance of two emergency use authorizations (EUA) in December. We report the results of a December 2020 survey (N = 16,158; response rate 61%) administered by a large Pennsylvania health system to determine the intentions of its employees to receive a vaccine when it is offered to them. In a mixed sample of individuals serving in patient-facing and other roles, 55% would decide to receive a COVID-19 vaccine when offered, 16.4% would not, and 28.5% reported being undecided. The distribution of responses varied little across hospital campuses, between those in patient-facing roles and other HCWs, or by area or department of work. The higher rate of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance we observe may reflect the framing and timing of our survey. Among hesitant respondents, an overwhelming majority (90.3%) reported concerns about unknown risks and insufficient data. Other commonly reported concerns included known side effects (57.4%) and wanting to wait until they see how it goes with others (44.4%). We observed a substantial increase in self-reported intent to receive a COVID-19 vaccine after an FDA advisory committee voted to recommend an EUA. Among respondents who completed the survey after that point in time, 79% intend to receive a COVID-19 vaccine (n = 1155). Although only suggestive, this trend offers hope that rates of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance may be higher among HCWs and, perhaps, the general public than more hypothetical survey results have indicated.

scholarly journals Healthcare worker intentions to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and reasons for hesitancy: A survey of 16,158 health system employees on the eve of vaccine distribution

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle N. Meyer ◽  
Tamara Gjorgjieva ◽  
Daniel Rosica
Keyword(s):  
Health System ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Response Rate ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Vaccine Acceptance ◽  
Population Immunity ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Acceptance Rates ◽  
Vaccine Distribution ◽  
To Receive

Healthcare workers (HCWs) have been recommended to receive first priority for limited COVID-19 vaccines. They have also been identified as potential ambassadors of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, helping to ensure that sufficient members of a hesitant public accept COVID-19 vaccines to achieve population immunity. Yet HCWs themselves have shown vaccine hesitancy in other contexts and the few prior surveys of U.S. HCW intentions to receive a COVID-19 vaccine report acceptance rates of only 28% to 34%. However, it is unknown whether HCW acceptance remains low following mid-November announcements of the efficacy of the first COVID-19 vaccines and the issuance of two emergency use authorizations (EUA) in December. We report the results of a December 2020 survey (N = 16,158; response rate 61%) administered by a large Pennsylvania health system to determine the intentions of its employees to receive a vaccine when it is offered to them. In a mixed sample of individuals serving in patient-facing and other roles, 55% would decide to receive a COVID-19 vaccine when offered, 16.4% would not, and 28.5% reported being undecided. The distribution of responses varied little across hospital campuses, between those in patient-facing roles and other HCWs, or by area or department of work. The higher rate of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance we observe may reflect the framing and timing of our survey. Among hesitant respondents, an overwhelming majority (90.3%) reported concerns about unknown risks and insufficient data. Other commonly reported concerns included known side effects (57.4%) and wanting to wait until they see how it goes with others (44.4%). We observed a substantial increase in self-reported intent to receive a COVID-19 vaccine after an FDA advisory committee voted to recommend an EUA. Among respondents who completed the survey after that point in time, 79% intend to receive a COVID-19 vaccine (n = 1155). Although only suggestive, this trend offers hope that rates of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance may be higher among HCWs and, perhaps, the general public than more hypothetical survey results have indicated.

scholarly journals Psychological Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance among Healthcare Workers in Kuwait: A Cross-Sectional Study Using the 5C and Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scales

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 701
Author(s):  
Mariam Al-Sanafi ◽  
Malik Sallam
Keyword(s):  
Private Sector ◽  
General Public ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Sampling Strategy ◽  
Collective Responsibility ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Vaccine Acceptance ◽  
Psychological Determinants ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs

Acceptance of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination appears as a decisive factor necessary to control the ongoing pandemic. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are among the highest risk groups for infection. The current study aimed to evaluate COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among HCWs in Kuwait, with identification of the psychological determinants of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. The study was conducted using an online anonymous survey distributed between 18 March 2021 and 29 March 2021. The sampling strategy was convenience-based depending on chain-referral sampling. Psychological determinants of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance were assessed using the 5C subscales and the Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale (VCBS). The total number of study participants was 1019, with the largest group being physicians (28.7%), pharmacists (20.2%), dentists (16.7%), and nurses (12.5%). The overall rate for COVID-19 vaccine acceptance was 83.3%, with 9.0% who were not willing to accept vaccination and 7.7% who were unsure. The highest rate for COVID-19 vaccine acceptance was seen among dentists (91.2%) and physicians (90.4%), while the lowest rate was seen among nurses (70.1%; p < 0.001). A higher level of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was found among females, participants with a lower educational level, and HCWs in the private sector. A preference for mRNA vaccine technology and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was found among the majority of participants (62.6% and 69.7%, respectively). COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was significantly linked to the embrace of vaccine conspiracy beliefs. The highest 5C psychological predictors of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance were high levels of collective responsibility and confidence, and lower levels of constraints and calculation. The VCBS and 5C subscales (except the calculation subscale) showed acceptable levels of predicting COVID-19 vaccine acceptance based on receiver operating characteristic analyses. The participants who depended on social media platforms, TV programs, and news releases as their main sources of knowledge about COVID-19 vaccines showed higher rates of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. An overall satisfactory level of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance was seen among HCWs in Kuwait, which was among the highest rates reported globally. However; higher levels of vaccine hesitancy were observed among certain groups (females, nurses and laboratory workers, HCWs in the private sector), which should be targeted with more focused awareness programs. HCWs in Kuwait can play a central role in educating their patients and the general public about the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination to halt the spread of SARS-CoV-2, considering the high rates of vaccine hesitancy observed among the general public in Kuwait and the Middle East.

scholarly journals Recent changes in COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy among Healthcare Workers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily C. O’Brien ◽  
Haolin Xu ◽  
Lauren W. Cohen ◽  
Elizabeth A. Shenkman ◽  
Russell L. Rothman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Worker ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Vaccine Acceptance ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Chi Squared ◽  
Medical Role ◽  
Acceptance Rates

IntroductionEarly COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates suggest that up to one-third of HCWs may be vaccine-hesitant. However, it is unclear whether hesitancy among HCWs has improved with time and if there are temporal changes whether these differ by healthcare worker role.MethodsIn October 2020, a brief survey was sent to all participants in the Healthcare Worker Exposure Response and Outcomes (HERO) Registry with a yes/no question regarding vaccination under emergency use authorization (EUA): “If an FDA emergency use-approved vaccine to prevent coronavirus/COVID-19 was available right now at no cost, would you agree to be vaccinated?” The poll was repeated in December 2020, with the same question sent to all registry participants. Willingness was defined as a “Yes” response, and hesitancy was defined as a “No” response. Participants were stratified into clinical care roles. Baseline demographics of survey respondents at each timepoint were compared using appropriate univariate statistics (chi-squared and t-tests). Analyses were descriptive, with frequencies and percentages reported for each category.ResultsOf 4882 HERO active registry participants during September 1 – October 31, 2020, 2070 (42.4%) completed the October survey, and n=1541 (31.6%) completed the December survey. 70.2% and 67.7% who were in clinical care roles, respectively. In October, 54.2% of HCWs in clinical roles said they would take an EUA-approved vaccine, which increased to 76.2% in December. The largest gain in vaccine willingness was observed among physicians, 64.0% of whom said they would take a vaccine in October, compared with 90.5% in December. Nurses were the least likely to report that they would take a vaccine in both October (46.6%) and December (66.9%). We saw no statistically significant differences in age, race/ethnicity, gender, or medical role between time points. When restricting to the 998 participants who participated at both time points, 69% were vaccine-willing at both time points; 15% were hesitant at both time points, 13% who were hesitant in October were willing in December; and 2.9% who were willing in October were hesitant in December.ConclusionsIn a set of cross-sectional surveys of vaccine acceptance among healthcare workers, willingness improved substantially over 2 calendar months during which the US had a presidential election and two vaccine manufacturers released top-line Phase 3 trial results. While improved willingness was observed in all role categories, nurses reported the most vaccine hesitancy at both time points.

scholarly journals A Local Survey of COVID-19: Vaccine Potential Acceptance Rate among Personnel in a Level 1 Trauma Center without Severe COVID-19 Cases

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1616
Author(s):  
André Nohl ◽  
Heithem Ben Abdallah ◽  
Veronika Weichert ◽  
Sascha Zeiger ◽  
Tobias Ohmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Collective Responsibility ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Continuous Exposure ◽  
Vaccine Acceptance ◽  
Global Challenge ◽  
Vaccination Acceptance ◽  
Level 1 ◽  
Acceptance Rates ◽  
To Receive

Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) in hospitals are at high risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare workers’ infection risk could be amplified during the ongoing pandemic due to various factors, including continuous exposure to patients and inadequate infection control training. Despite the risk healthcare workers face, vaccine hesitancy remains a global challenge. Differences in acceptance rates have ranged from less than 55% (in Russia) to nearly 90% (in China). In order to improve our knowledge of vaccine acceptance and its variation in rates, an evaluation is warranted. A survey was thus administered to healthcare workers. Methods: This survey aimed to address vaccination acceptance among employees in an urban level 1 trauma hospital. It was conducted through a developed and structured questionnaire that was randomly distributed online among the staff (age ≥18 years) to receive their feedback. Results: Among 285 participants (out of 995 employees), 69% were female, and 83.5% were overaged more than 30 years of age. The two largest groups were nurses (32%) and doctors (22%). The majority of respondents reported that they would “like to be vaccinated” (77.4%) and that they trusted the COVID-19 vaccine (62%). Moreover, 67.8% also reported that they felt the vaccination was effective. They reported that vaccination was a method to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (85.15%) and was a way to protect individuals with weak immune systems (78.2%). More importantly, the participants were concerned about other people (80.1%) and believed the vaccine would protect others. On the other hand, the result showed that the majority of participants (95.3%) chose to be vaccinated once everyone else was vaccinated, “I don’t need to get vaccinated”. Results showed that the majority of participants that chose “I don’t need to get vaccinated” did so after everyone else was vaccinated. Our results show that COVID-19 vaccination intention in a level 1 trauma hospital was associated with older age males who are more confident, and also share a collective responsibility, are less complacent, and have fewer constraints. Conclusion: Acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine is relatively low among healthcare workers (HCWs). Differences in vaccine acceptance have been noted between different categories of HCWs and genders. Therefore, addressing barriers to vaccination acceptance among these HCWs is essential to avoid reluctance to receive the vaccination, but it will be challenging.

scholarly journals Real-World Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccines among Healthcare Workers in Perinatal Medicine in China

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 704
Author(s):  
Biyun Xu ◽  
Xuelian Gao ◽  
Xinyue Zhang ◽  
Yali Hu ◽  
Huixia Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
Real World ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Vaccine Safety ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Present Survey ◽  
Perinatal Medicine ◽  
Vaccine Acceptance ◽  
Questionnaire Online ◽  
Convincing Data

Surveys showed that vaccine hesitancy may influence the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines in healthcare workers (HCWs) and the general population. Currently, the actual acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination in HCWs has rarely been reported. In the present survey, we investigated the real-world acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination in HCWs in perinatal medicine during the first three-month period of vaccination in China and to identify the main reason for the decline of vaccination. HCWs (1087) who participated in a Chinese national symposium on perinatal medicine during 16–18 April 2021 were invited to answer a 27-question questionnaire online. A total of 1051 HCWs completed the questionnaire. Of them, 86.2% (906/1051) accepted the COVID-19 vaccination and 13.8% (145/1051) declined the vaccination. Because of the vaccine hesitancy, one-fourth of the vaccinated participants did not accept the vaccination until consulted with others or requested by employers. The main reason for the decline of vaccination in 145 unvaccinated HCWs was the concern about vaccine safety. The results indicate that vaccination request by employers may promote vaccine acceptance. More convincing data on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines appears to be important to increase the acceptance of vaccination.

scholarly journals Vaccine Hesitancy: In the Age of the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 9-16
Author(s):  
Mohammad Jahidur Rahman Khan ◽  
Samshad Jahan Shumu ◽  
Farzana Mim ◽  
Md. Selim Reza
Keyword(s):  
Modern Science ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Healthcare Personnel ◽  
Common Causes ◽  
Vaccination Acceptance ◽  
Worldwide Phenomenon ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Government ◽  
Acceptance Rates

Vaccines are one of the most significant innovations of modern science. Worldwide, millions of lives are saved each year by the vaccine. Vaccine hesitancy, which represents the refusal to receive vaccines when vaccination services are available and reachable, is a major obstacle to global health. While vaccine hesitancy has been present for many years, its damaging effects are likely to be more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic than ever before. This study aimed to find out common causes of vaccine hesitancy, assess COVID-19 vaccination acceptance rates worldwide, and present the approaches by which vaccine hesitancy rate can be reduced. This study revealed though vaccine hesitancy is a worldwide phenomenon, the causes differ from country to country or reign. More studies are needed to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, especially in the Middle and South America, the Middle East and North Africa, Central Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe. The leading causes of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy are found lack of confidence towards the government or pharmaceutical companies, less concern about the outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and shortage of supply of different types of COVID-19 vaccines. Healthcare personnel and social media play an essential role in addressing vaccine hesitancy. Convincing the general population about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, the consequence of being unvaccinated, and the delivery of free vaccines in an easily accessible way can reduce vaccine hesitancy rate.

scholarly journals Hesitant or Not Hesitant? A Systematic Review on Global COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance in Different Populations

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 873
Author(s):  
Maria Giulia Salomoni ◽  
Zeno Di Valerio ◽  
Elisa Gabrielli ◽  
Marco Montalti ◽  
Dario Tedesco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Geographical Origin ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Vaccine Acceptance ◽  
Public Health Systems ◽  
Pubmed Database ◽  
Collection Data ◽  
Different Populations ◽  
Acceptance Rates ◽  
Study Setting

Vaccination currently appears to be the only strategy to contain the spread of COVID-19. At the same time, vaccine hesitancy (VH) could limit its efficacy and has, therefore, attracted the attention of Public Health Systems. This systematic review aimed at assessing anti-COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates worldwide and at identifying populations more prone to vaccine hesitancy, for which specific interventions should be planned. PubMed database was searched using a purposely formulated string. One hundred out of the 9243 studies retrieved were considered pertinent and thus included in the analyses. VH rate was analyzed according to patient geographical origin, ethnicity, age, study setting, and method used for data collection; data from specific populations were separately analyzed. Overall, this study demonstrated significant differences in terms of VH in the general population and in the specific subgroups examined according to geographical, demographic factors, as well as associated comorbidities, underlining the need for purposely designed studies in specific populations from the different countries, to design targeted programs aimed at increasing awareness for confidence and complacency toward COVID-19 vaccines.

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