A high rate of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in a large-scale survey on Arabs

A High Rate of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Arabs: Results of a Large-scale Survey

10.1101/2021.03.09.21252764 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Eyad A. Qunaibi ◽

Mohamed Helmy ◽

Iman Basheti ◽

Iyad Sultan

Keyword(s):

Health Care Workers ◽

Large Scale ◽

High Rate ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Multinational Study ◽

Academic Education ◽

Arab Region ◽

Care Workers ◽

Large Scale Survey ◽

To Receive

AbstractIn this study, we present the results of the first large-scale multinational study (36,220 participants) that measures vaccine hesitancy among Arab-speaking subjects. Our analysis shows a significant rate of vaccine hesitancy among Arabs in and outside the Arab region (83% and 81%, respectively). The most cited reasons for hesitancy are concerns about side effects and distrust in healthcare policies, vaccine expedited production, published studies and vaccine producing companies. We also found that female participants, participants 30-59 year-old, those with no chronic diseases, those with lower-level of academic education, and those who do not know the type of vaccine authorized in their countries are more hesitant to receive COVID-19 vaccination. On the other hand, participants who regularly receive the influenza vaccine, health care workers, and those from countries with higher rates of COVID-19 infections showed more vaccination willingness. Interactive representation of our results is posted on our project website at https://mainapp.shinyapps.io/CVHAA.

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Hesitancy of Arab Healthcare Workers towards COVID-19 Vaccination: A Large-Scale Multinational Study

Vaccines ◽

10.3390/vaccines9050446 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (5) ◽

pp. 446

Author(s):

Eyad Qunaibi ◽

Iman Basheti ◽

Mohamed Soudy ◽

Iyad Sultan

Keyword(s):

Role Models ◽

Large Scale ◽

Online Survey ◽

Arab World ◽

Arab Countries ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Vaccine Type ◽

Arabic Speaking

Background: Health care workers (HCWs) are at increased risk of acquiring and transmitting COVID-19 infection. Moreover, they present role models for communities with regards to attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination. Hence, hesitancy of HCWs towards vaccination can crucially affect the efforts aiming to contain the pandemic. Previously published studies paid little attention to HCWs in Arab countries, which have a population of over 440 million. Objectives: To assess the rates of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Arabic-speaking HCWs residing in and outside Arab countries, and their perceived barriers towards vaccination. Methods: A cross-sectional study based on an online survey was conducted from 14–29 January 2021, targeting Arabic-speaking HCWs from all around the world. Results: The survey recruited 5708 eligible participants (55.6% males, 44.4% females, age 30.6 ± 10 years) from 21 Arab countries (87.5%) and 54 other countries (12.5%). Our analysis showed a significant rate of vaccine hesitancy among Arabic-speaking HCWs residing in and outside of Arab countries (25.8% and 32.8%, respectively). The highest rates of hesitancy were among participants from the western regions of the Arab world (Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria). The most cited reasons for hesitancy were concerns about side effects and distrust of the expedited vaccine production and healthcare policies. Factors associated with higher hesitancy included age of 30–59, previous or current suspected or confirmed COVID-19, female gender, not knowing the vaccine type authorized in the participant’s country, and not regularly receiving the influenza vaccine. Conclusion: This is the first large-scale multinational post-vaccine-availability study on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among HCWs. It reveals high rates of hesitancy among Arab-speaking HCWs. Unless addressed properly, this hesitancy can impede the efforts for achieving widespread vaccination and collective immunity.

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Hesitancy of Arab Healthcare Workers Towards COVID-19 Vaccination: A Large-Scale Multinational Study

10.20944/preprints202104.0236.v2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Eyad Qunaibi ◽

Iman Basheti ◽

Mohamed Soudy ◽

Iyad Sultan

Keyword(s):

Role Models ◽

Large Scale ◽

Online Survey ◽

Arab World ◽

Arab Countries ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Vaccine Type ◽

Arabic Speaking

Background: Health Care Workers (HCWs) are at increased risk of acquiring and transmitting COVID-19 infection. Also, they present role models for communities with regards to attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination. Hence, hesitancy of HCWs towards vaccination can crucially affect the efforts aiming to contain the pandemic. Previously published studies paid little attention to HCWs in Arab countries, which has a population of over 440 million. Objectives: to assess the rates of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Arabic-speaking HCWs residing in and outside the Arab countries, and their perceived barriers towards vaccination. Methods: a cross-sectional study based on an online survey was conducted from 14-Jan 2021 to 29-Jan 2021, targeting Arabic-speaking HCWs from all around the world. Results: the survey recruited 5,708 eligible participants (55.6% males, 44.4% females, age 30.6±10 years) from 21 Arab countries (87.5%) and 54 other countries (12.5%). Our analysis shows a significant rate of vaccine hesitancy among Arabic-speaking HCWs residing in and outside Arab countries (25.8% and 32.8%, respectively). The highest rates of hesitancy were among participants from the west region of the Arab world (Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria). The most cited reasons for hesitancy were concerns about side effects and distrust in vaccine expedited production and healthcare policies. Factors associated with higher hesitancy included age of 30-59, previous or current suspected or confirmed COVID-19, female gender, not knowing the vaccine type authorized in the participant’s country, and not regularly receiving the influenza vaccine. Conclusion: this is the first large-scale, multinational, post-vaccine-availability study on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among HCWs. It reveals high rates of hesitancy among Arab-speaking HCWs. Unless addressed properly, this hesitancy can impede the efforts for achieving widespread vaccination and collective immunity.

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Hesitancy of Arab Healthcare Workers Towards COVID-19 Vaccination: A Large-Scale Multinational Study

10.20944/preprints202104.0236.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Eyad Qunaibi ◽

Iman Basheti ◽

Mohamed Soudy ◽

Iyad Sultan

Keyword(s):

Role Models ◽

Large Scale ◽

Online Survey ◽

Arab World ◽

Arab Countries ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Vaccine Type ◽

Arabic Speaking

Background: Health Care Workers (HCWs) are at increased risk of acquiring and transmitting COVID-19 infection. Also, they present role models for communities with regards to attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination. Hence, hesitancy of HCWs towards vaccination can crucially affect the efforts aiming to contain the pandemic. Previously published studies paid little attention to HCWs in Arab countries, which has a population of over 440 million. Objectives: to assess the rates of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Arabic-speaking HCWs residing in and outside the Arab countries, and their perceived barriers towards vaccination. Methods: a cross-sectional study based on an online survey was conducted from 14-Jan 2021 to 29-Jan 2021, targeting Arabic-speaking HCWs from all around the world. Results: the survey recruited 5,708 eligible participants (55.6% males, 44.4% females, age 30.6±10 years) from 21 Arab countries (87.5%) and 54 other countries (12.5%). Our analysis shows a significant rate of vaccine hesitancy among Arabic-speaking HCWs residing in and outside Arab countries (25.8% and 32.8%, respectively). The highest rates of hesitancy were among participants from the west region of the Arab world (Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria). The most cited reasons for hesitancy were concerns about side effects and distrust in vaccine expedited production and healthcare policies. Factors associated with higher hesitancy included age of 30-59, previous or current suspected or confirmed COVID-19, female gender, not knowing the vaccine type authorized in the participant’s country, and not regularly receiving the influenza vaccine. Conclusion: this is the first large-scale, multinational, post-vaccine-availability study on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among HCWs. It reveals high rates of hesitancy among Arab-speaking HCWs. Unless addressed properly, this hesitancy can impede the efforts for achieving widespread vaccination and collective immunity.

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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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Acceptability of COVID-19 vaccination among health care workers in Ghana

10.1101/2021.03.11.21253374 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Martin Wiredu Agyekum ◽

Grace Frempong Afrifa-Anane ◽

Frank Kyei-Arthur ◽

Bright Addo

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Side Effects ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Online Survey ◽

Binary Logistic Regression ◽

Vaccine Uptake ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Adverse Side Effects ◽

Care Workers ◽

The Government

The acceptance or otherwise of the COVID-19 vaccine by health care workers can influence the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines among the general population as they are a reliable source of health information. In this study, we sought to determine the acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines among health care workers in Ghana. Using a cross-sectional design, we collected data from 234 health care workers through a self-administered online survey from 16 January to 15 February 2021. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analyses using binary logistic regression were performed using STATA version 15. The results showed that 39.3% of health care workers had the intention of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Factors such as sex, category of health care workers, relative being diagnosed with COVID-19, and trust in the accuracy of the measures taken by the government in the fight against COVID-19 proved to be significant predictors of the acceptability of the COVID-19 vaccine. Concerns about the safety of vaccines and the adverse side effects of the vaccine were identified as the main reasons why health care workers would decline uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine in Ghana. The self-reported low intention of health care workers to accept the COVID-19 vaccine in Ghana requires the urgent call of the Government of Ghana and other stakeholders to critically address health care workers' concerns about the safety and adverse side effects of COVID-19 vaccines, as this would increase vaccine uptake. Interventions must also take into consideration sex and the category of health care workers to achieve the desired results. Keywords: COVID-19, Vaccines, Vaccine acceptance, Health care workers, Ghana

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COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Chinese Population: A Large-Scale National Study

Frontiers in Immunology ◽

10.3389/fimmu.2021.781161 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Jian Wu ◽

Quanman Li ◽

Clifford Silver Tarimo ◽

Meiyun Wang ◽

Jianqin Gu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Educational Level ◽

Large Scale ◽

Online Survey ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Booster Vaccination ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

National Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Conspiracy Beliefs ◽

And Behavior

Globally, vaccine hesitancy is a growing public health problem. It is detrimental to the consolidation of immunization program achievements and elimination of vaccine-targeted diseases. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in China and explore its contributing factors. A national cross-sectional online survey among Chinese adults (≥18 years old) was conducted between August 6, 2021 and August 9 via a market research company. We collected sociodemographic information; lifestyle behavior; quality of life; the knowledge, awareness, and behavior of COVID-19; the knowledge, awareness, and behavior of COVID-19 vaccine; willingness of COVID-19 vaccination; accessibility of COVID-19 vaccination services; skepticism about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccine; doctor and vaccine developer scale; and so on. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to estimate the associations by using logistic regression models. A total of 29,925 residents (48.64% men) were enrolled in our study with mean age of 30.99 years. We found an overall prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy at 8.40% (95% CI, 8.09–8.72) in primary vaccination and 8.39% (95% CI, 8.07–8.70) in booster vaccination. In addition, after adjusting for potential confounders, we found that women, higher educational level, married residents, higher score of health condition, never smoked, increased washing hands, increased wearing mask, increased social distance, lower level of vaccine conspiracy beliefs, disease risks outweigh vaccine risk, higher level of convenient vaccination, and higher level of trust in doctor and developer were more willing to vaccinate than all others (all p < 0.05). Age, sex, educational level, marital status, chronic disease condition, smoking, healthy behaviors, the curability of COVID-19, the channel of accessing information of COVID-19 vaccine, endorsement of vaccine conspiracy beliefs, weigh risks of vaccination against risks of the disease, making a positive influence on the health of others around you, and lower trust in healthcare system may affect the variation of willingness to take a COVID-19 vaccine (all p < 0.05). The prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was modest in China, even with the slight resulting cascade of changing vaccination rates between the primary and booster vaccination. Urgent action to address vaccine hesitancy is needed in building trust in medical personnel and vaccine producers, promoting the convenience of vaccination services, and spreading reliable information of COVID-19 vaccination via the Internet and other media.

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Running away from the jab: factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Brazil

Revista de Saúde Pública ◽

10.11606/s1518-8787.2021055003903 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 55 ◽

pp. 97

Author(s):

Marco Antonio Catussi Paschoalotto ◽

Eduardo Polena Pacheco Araújo Costa ◽

Sara Valente de Almeida ◽

Joana Cima ◽

Joana Gomes da Costa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Side Effects ◽

Online Survey ◽

Descriptive Analysis ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Government Performance ◽

Political Factors ◽

Logistic Regression Models ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Current Vaccine ◽

Pharmaceutical Interventions

OBJECTIVE: To investigate how sociodemographic conditions, political factors, organizational confidence, and non-pharmaceutical interventions compliance affect the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Brazil. METHODS: Data collection took place between November 25th, 2020 and January 11th, 2021 using a nationwide online survey. Subsequently, the researches performed a descriptive analysis on the main variables and used logistic regression models to investigate the factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. RESULTS: Less concern over vaccine side effects could improve the willingness to be vaccinated (probability changed by 7.7 pp; p < 0.10). The current vaccine distrust espoused by the Brazilian president is associated with vaccine hesitancy, among his voter base. Lower performance perception (“Very Bad” with 10.7 pp; p < 0.01) or higher political opposition (left-oriented) regarding the current presidency is associated with the willingness to be vaccinated. Higher compliance with non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) is usually positively associated with the willingness to take the COVID-19 vaccine (+1 score to NPI compliance index is associated with higher willingness to be vaccinated by 1.4 pp, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Willingness to be vaccinated is strongly associated with political leaning, perceived federal government performance, vaccine side effects, and compliance with non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs).

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Acceptability of COVID-19 Vaccination among Health Care Workers in Ghana

Advances in Public Health ◽

10.1155/2021/9998176 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Martin Wiredu Agyekum ◽

Grace Frempong Afrifa-Anane ◽

Frank Kyei-Arthur ◽

Bright Addo

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Side Effects ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Online Survey ◽

Vaccine Uptake ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Adverse Side Effects ◽

Care Workers ◽

The Government ◽

N 93

Because health care workers are a reliable source of health information, their acceptance or rejection of COVID-19 vaccines can influence the general population's uptake of COVID-19 vaccines. In this study, we sought to determine the acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines among health care workers in Ghana. Using a cross-sectional design, we collected data from 234 health care workers through a self-administered online survey from 16 January to 15 February 2021. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were performed using STATA version 15. The findings revealed that 39.3% (n = 92) of health care workers intended to receive the COVID-19 vaccines. Factors such as sex (AOR = 0.451; CI 95% 0.240–0.845; p = 0.013 ), category of health care workers (AOR = 2.851; 95 CI%: 1.097–7.405; p = 0.031 ), relative being diagnosed with COVID-19 (AOR = 0.369; CI 95% 0.145–0.941; p = 0.037 ), and trust in the accuracy of the measures taken by the government in the fight against COVID-19 (AOR = 2.768; CI 95%: 1.365–5.616; p = 0.005 ) proved to be significant predictors of the acceptability of the COVID-19 vaccine. Concerns about the safety of vaccines (n = 93, 65.5%) and the adverse side effects of the vaccines (n = 23, 14.8%) were identified as the main reasons why health care workers would decline uptake of COVID-19 vaccines in Ghana. The self-reported low intention of health care workers in Ghana to accept COVID-19 vaccines necessitates an urgent call from the Government of Ghana and other stakeholders to address health care workers' concerns about the safety and adverse side effects of COVID-19 vaccines, as this would increase vaccine uptake. Interventions must also take into consideration sex and the category of health care workers to achieve the desired results.

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

10.1101/2021.09.15.21263559 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Shohei Okamoto ◽

Kazuki Kamimura ◽

Kohei Komamura

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Side Effects ◽

Online Survey ◽

Ethical Issues ◽

Herd Immunity ◽

Vaccine Safety ◽

Careful Consideration ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

Novel Coronavirus

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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