Perspectives of COVID-19 Vaccines Among Indonesians: A Thematic Content Analysis of Online Media

Abstract

The world continues to face the COVID-19 pandemic, including in Indonesia. The number of COVID-19 infections and deaths continue to escalate. COVID-19 vaccines were globally distributed and became a vital tool to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and reduce its life-threatening effects. However, community perspectives regarding COVID-19 vaccines are still varied, which is vital for promoting vaccine programs successfully. The purpose of this study was to explore the community perspectives of COVID-19 vaccines in Indonesia. This was qualitative research that utilized secondary data from online news media. The data were analyzed through content analysis using the NVivo 12 Plus software. The findings indicated that Indonesian community perspectives regarding COVID-19 vaccines are varied. Some accept the vaccines and think they are vital to prevent the increasing number of infections and stop the COVID-19 pandemic; however, some think that the COVID-19 vaccine is only a political issue, not essential, and some do not believe that COVID-19 exists. Negative beliefs or perspectives of COVID-19 vaccines are a barrier to successfully implementing vaccine programs. This study highlights the importance of understanding community perspectives and identifying problems in vaccination programs. Healthcare providers can utilize the findings to provide better health education, particularly in the context of the pandemic.
 Keywords: COVID-19, vaccine, community perspective, online media, content analysis, NVivo analysis