Dynamic of Knowledge, Perception and Acceptance of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Vaccines in Brazzaville

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines are crucial tools to prevent most people from contracting the disease and getting out of the pandemic. However, getting people to accept these vaccines remains a challenge, especially for many African countries. This study aimed to assess the dynamic of knowledge, perceptions and acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine in the Congolese population. To do this, we conducted series of cross-sectional surveys in Brazzaville, before (February10 to March 22, 2021) during (August 3 to September 4, 2021) the vaccine rollout. A self-administered questionnaire was designed to collect data from participants, and the chi-square test was performed to compare data between both study periods. The statistical significance was defined at P<0.05. Of the 806 and 768 participants surveyed, only 234 (29.03%) and 282 (37.2%) showed fairly good knowledge of covid-19 vaccines (score >50%) before and during the vaccine rollout, respectively. Approximately 57.8% of the participants exhibited a positive perception towards COVID-19 vaccines prior to the vaccine rollout. This proportion dropped significantly at 50.15% in AugustSeptember, while the rate of hesitancy and refusal to be vaccinated significantly increased (45.53% vs 57.26%; P<0.001). Before the vaccine rollout, 439 (54.47%) of participants intended to be vaccinated, whereas they were only 324 (42.74%) during the vaccine rollout (P<0.001). It was also found that women were less willing to be vaccinated than men in both study periods. Taken together, this study revealed a low level of knowledge and a lack of confidence towards COVID-19 vaccines in Brazzaville. These findings may inform public health public health authorities in developing relevant strategies that promote COVID-19 vaccines acceptance in Congo.