Abstract
Background: Knowledge of facilitators and barriers regarding the uptake of COVID-19 vaccination at a global population level is critical for combating the pandemic, saving lives, and protecting the economy. The aim of this work was to determine the proportion of people likely to accept or refuse to undergo COVID-19 vaccination. This study also investigated (a) time trends regarding the intention to undergo COVID-19 vaccination and (b) socio-demographic risk factors influencing vaccine refusal. Methods: Databases (01 March 2020-01 March 2021) searched included PubMed, MEDLINE, and Scopus. The sample size was n ≥1000 and selected studies were those that determined vaccine ‘acceptance’, ‘refusal’ and ‘hesitancy’. A random-effects model was employed to obtain the overall odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for socio-demographic predictors for vaccine refusal. Results: A total of 832 citations were screened and 35 studies from 21 countries (n=130,179) were analyzed. The pooled proportion of individuals reporting an intention to vaccinate was 0.70 (95% CI: 0.65 to 0.74; I2 = 99.68%). The proportion of people intending to vaccinate decreased (regression coefficient = -0.13; p<0.001) during the study period and odds of refusal to vaccinate increased by 1.37-fold (95% CI: 1.33-1.41) during the second half. Risk factors identified for vaccine refusal included being female, rural residence, lower income, and lower level of formal education. Conclusions: A moderate proportion of people showed an intention to receive vaccination, although this declined during the study period. A global and national multi-pronged strategic and targeted approach is urgently needed to enhance vaccination uptake amongst females, those with a relatively lower educational and socioeconomic status, and those in rural areas.
Highlights
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARSCoV-2) causes coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19); the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a pandemic status on 11 March 2020 and by 01 April 2021, an estimated 157 million people had been infected worldwide and the disease had claimed over 3.3m lives[1]
The majority of the studies were from the USA (n=9) and the UK (n=9), China (n=4), and France (n=3)
Vaccination acceptance proportions in High-Income Countries (HIC) countries (0.69, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.65–0.73) were similar to Low- and MiddleIncome Countries (LMIC) countries (0.71, 95% CI: 0.42–0.89)
Summary
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARSCoV-2) causes coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19); the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a pandemic status on 11 March 2020 and by 01 April 2021, an estimated 157 million people had been infected worldwide and the disease had claimed over 3.3m lives[1]. A cumulative loss of nine trillion US dollars has been predicted by the end of 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic[2] It has been suggested from a public health perspective that immunity in the population, or “herd” immunity, needs to be at least 67% to combat the pandemic[3]. This requires a successful global vaccination program. Knowledge of facilitators and barriers regarding the uptake of COVID-19 vaccination at a global population level is critical for combating the pandemic, saving lives, and protecting the economy. A random-effects model was employed to obtain the overall odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for socio-demographic predictors for vaccine refusal
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
