Abstract
Since emergency approval of COVID-19 vaccines for children aged between 12 and 15 years old was recently obtained in the United States and Europe, we aimed to assess the willingness to vaccinate children with a COVID-19 vaccine in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Therefore, we launched an online cross-sectional survey in several LMICs. Questions relating to socio-demographic information, knowledge of COVID-19, level of fear/worry of being infected with COVID-19, and willingness to vaccinate children with the COVID-19 vaccine at 50%, 75% and 95% effectiveness levels, were asked. Of the 6571 participants (mean age = 39 ± 14 years), 64.0%, 72.6%, and 92.9% were willing to vaccinate children at 50%, 75%, and 95% effectiveness levels, respectively. Respondents who were undergraduates, who were more worried/fearful about COVID-19, had higher knowledge scores regarding COVID-19, and a higher belief that COVID-19 vaccination is important to protect others, were more willing to accept COVID-19 vaccination of children. COVID-19 vaccination of children will limit the spread of the virus, especially in schools; it may decrease the need for school closures which has a negative effect on child development. Findings from this study are useful for health promotion strategies during COVID-19 vaccination implementation among children in LMICs.
Highlights
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020 and precipitated a global health emergency [1]
This study is a part of the International Citizen Project (ICP) COVID-19 whereby a series of large-scale online surveys are developed to understand country-level adherence to the interventions recommended by the WHO
Participants were recruited in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs) namely, Brazil, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, and African countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Malawi
Summary
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020 and precipitated a global health emergency [1]. Against the unmitigated increase of new cases, the rapid authorization and roll out of COVID-19 vaccines serves as an important prevention measure against COVID-19 infection. Vaccines play a critical role in preventing death and hospitalization caused by infectious diseases [3,4]. The Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna vaccines were authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States of America in December 2020 for individuals who were 16 years old and older [3]. The first COVID-19 vaccine, Pfizer BioNTech, received emergency authorization in the European Union [7]. COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to be effective in controlling the spread of the disease [4]. Among lower-income countries, the COVAX initiative was implemented to enable equitable and accelerated distribution of the vaccines
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