COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance Research Articles

Analysis of Covid-19 Knowledge and Vaccine Acceptance Among Agricultural Extension Workers in Katsina State, Nigeria

COVID-19 vaccines were developed for the prevention and control of COVID-19 globally and strong immunity will be developed if most of the world’s population accept and get vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine. However, vaccine hesitancy is a major threat to the control and prevention of COVID-19 in most countries especially the developing countries. The study was carried out to determine COVID-19 knowledge, risk perception and vaccine hesitancy among extension agents in Katsina State, North Central Nigeria. Due to insecurity, 23 local government areas in the state were purposively sampled across the three agricultural zones in the state. Furthermore, all the five village extension agents and one block extension supervisor in each LGA selected was considered to give a total of one hundred and thirty-eight (138) respondents for the study. Descriptive statistics such as percentage and mean, risk perception score, COVID-19 knowledge scale and a Logit regression model were used to achieve the study objectives. Results show that extension agents in Katsina State have a good knowledge of the COVID-19 vaccine and a high-risk perception towards COVID-19. However, due to trust and safety concerns, majority of the extension workers (73.2%) are still hesitant and yet to get a shot of the vaccine. The major determinants of COVID-19 acceptance include age of the extension worker, years of work experience and knowing a person infected by the virus. It can be concluded from the study that the older and more experienced extension workers can be used as a good starting point for launching a program aimed at reducing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among extension workers in Katsina State. The electronic media such as the Radio and Television should be used to produce jingles and skits for educating extension workers on the COVID-19 vaccine. Community and religious leaders should be empowered by the government to help clarify the misconceptions about vaccines that have pervaded communities especially in Northern Nigeria.

COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance and Hesitancy among Healthcare Workers in Lusaka, Zambia; Findings and Implications for the Future.

The uptake of COVID-19 vaccines is critical to address the severe consequences of the disease. Previous studies have suggested that many healthcare workers (HCWs) are hesitant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, further enhancing hesitancy rates within countries. COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and hesitancy levels are currently unknown among HCWs in Zambia, which is a concern given the burden of infectious diseases in the country. Consequently, this study assessed COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and hesitancy among HCWs in Lusaka, Zambia. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 240 HCWs between August and September 2022, using a semi-structured questionnaire. Multivariable analysis was used to determine the key factors associated with vaccine hesitancy among HCWs. Of the 240 HCWs who participated, 54.2% were females. A total of 72.1% of the HCWs would accept being vaccinated, while 27.9% were hesitant. Moreover, 93.3% of HCWs had positive attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines, with medical doctors having the highest mean attitude score (82%). Encouragingly, HCWs with positive attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines had reduced odds of being hesitant (AOR = 0.02, 95% CI: 0.01-0.11, p < 0.001). Overall, acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine among HCWs in Lusaka, Zambia, was high, especially by those with positive attitudes. However, the current hesitancy among some HCWs is a concern. Consequently, there is a need to address this and encourage HCWs to fully promote vaccination programs going forward.

The Relationship between Socio-Demographic Factors, Preventive Health Behaviors and Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccine among Israeli Pregnant Women during the Coronavirus Pandemic.

The outbreak of the Coronavirus disease led the World Health Organization to publish recommendations regarding preventive health behaviors (PHB). Pregnant women are at a higher risk of severe COVID-19 infection and adherence to these recommendations is critical. There are little data regarding PHB among pregnant women. The current study aims to evaluate the contribution of socio-demographic factors and COVID-19 vaccinations in predicting PHB among pregnant women. 202 pregnant Israeli women (mean age = 30.8 years) participated in an online survey in 2021. 88% of the women were vaccinated and few had been infected. Of the women, 75.2% reported wearing face masks in closed spaces, while 12.4% reported wearing masks outdoors; 63.9% of the women did not travel abroad for fear of infection by the virus and 51% avoided crowded events. A simultaneous regression analysis to predict PHB indicated that pregnancy week and Coronavirus vaccination significantly and positively predicted PHB, but religious status was a negative predictor. Age, number of children, and level of education were not associated with PHB. These findings can be helpful as a preliminary evidence base for policy-making at present and for future epidemics regarding guidelines on PHB adjusted for pregnant women.

Intention to Get the (COVID)-19 Vaccine and Religiosity: The Moderating Role of Knowledge About the (COVID)-19 Vaccine

Studying the influence of religiosity and knowledge of the COVID-19 vaccination is important for boosting countrywide vaccine acceptance in countries such as Pakistan. This study used partial least squares structural equation modeling to determine whether these factors predicted the intention to get the vaccine and whether knowledge about COVID-19 vaccines moderated the influence of religiosity on the intention to get vaccinated. Participants were 251 college students from Pakistan, recruited using convenience sampling, who completed a paper-based survey. Results of structural equation modeling showed that religiosity was negatively related to COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, knowledge about the vaccine was positively related to COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, and knowledge about the vaccine positively moderated the negative impact of religiosity on intention to get vaccinated. These findings suggest that challenging religious norms and increasing public awareness are crucial for COVID-19 vaccine adoption.

Monitoring the COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance Trend and its Determinants Among Iranian Adults.

Vaccination seems to be the most critical means of halting the COVID-19 pandemic. It is crucial to understand the factors that influence COVID-19 vaccine acceptance to avoid low vaccination rates. This study intended to monitor the COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and its association with socio-demographic factors and prior diagnosis of COVID-19 in Iranian adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study utilized data from the COVID-19 Population Survey of Iran (COPSIR), a repeated national survey designed to monitor COVID-19-related behavioral insights. From April 2020 to November 2021, thirteen iterations of a series of cross-sectional studies involving computer-assisted telephone interviews were conducted. The COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rate remained above 80% until the ninth wave in February 2021, when it dropped to 62.9%. However, throughout the next four surveys, it rose gradually from 72.0% to 85.7%. The multilevel regression model revealed that the COVID-19 vaccine acceptance was significantly and positively linked with age and education. Despite the relatively high COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rate among Iranian adults, after the emergence of vaccines on the global market and controversies about their safety in Iran, the initially high vaccine acceptance rate dropped significantly, and then increased over time and returned to its peak level (85%). According to the Commodity Theory, this rise in vaccine acceptance can be attributed to the COVID-19 vaccine shortage in the country between January and July 2022. For Iranian adults to accept vaccines more readily, health promotion programs should target the youth and the less literate adults.

"It Doesn't Cure, but It Protects": COVID-19 Vaccines through the Eyes of Children and Their Parents.

Recently, studies have examined COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and/or hesitancy amongst adult populations across the globe. However, there is a paucity of literature illustrating children's voices in vaccination debates. This article draws on qualitative data collected via a mixed-methods study that explored South Africans' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic between 2020 and 2021. Interviews were conducted with a purposive sample (N = 29) of children (>18 years) and their parents regarding their initial perspectives on COVID-19 vaccines. Given the dyadic nature of our study, we explored the intergenerational influence that parents' perspectives had on children's vaccine acceptability and the role that vaccine literacy, or lack thereof, played in vaccine decision making. Findings showed a great level of vaccine acceptability among children and parents, where many placed hopes in the vaccines to promote societal health and wellbeing. Intergenerational transfer of perspectives was observed where children's willingness to receive a vaccine was intrinsically linked to their parents' vaccine acceptability. Some participants also expressed concerns about COVID-19 vaccines, related to misinformation, mistrust, and limited vaccine literacy. We discuss the findings as they relate to vaccine and health literacy, also considering the prospective implications of this work as we enter the "recovery" period of the pandemic.

COVID-19 vaccine acceptance: A comparative longitudinal analysis of the association between risk perception, confidence, and the acceptance of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Following the outbreak of COVID-19, scientists rushed to develop vaccines to protect individuals and ferry the world out of the pandemic. Unfortunately, vaccine hesitancy is a major threat to the success of vaccination campaigns. Research on previous pandemics highlighted the centrality of perceived risk and confidence as core determinants of vaccine acceptance. Research on COVID-19 is less conclusive, and frequently it relies on one-country, cross-sectional data, thus making it hard to generalize results across contexts and observe these relationships over time. To bridge these gaps, in this article, we analyzed the association between perceived risk, confidence, and vaccine acceptance cross-sectionally at individual and country levels. Then, we longitudinally explored whether a within-country variation in perceived risk and confidence was correlated with a variation in vaccine acceptance. We used data from a large-scale survey of individuals in 23 countries and 19 time-points between June 2020 and March 2021 and comparative longitudinal multilevel models to estimate the associations at different levels of analysis simultaneously. Results show the existence of cross-sectional relationships at the individual and country levels but no significant associations within countries over time. This article contributes to our understanding of the roles of risk perception and confidence in COVID-19 vaccines' acceptance by underlining that these relationships might differ at diverse levels of analysis. To foster vaccine uptake, it might be important to address individual concerns and persisting contextual characteristics, but increasing levels of perceived risk and confidence might not be a sufficient strategy to increase vaccine acceptance rates.

Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptability among Healthcare Workers in Kenya-A Mixed Methods Analysis.

Healthcare workers (HCWs) were a priority group for COVID-19 vaccination. Adopting the World Health Organization's 3C and the expanded 5C vaccine hesitancy models, we assessed the factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine acceptability among HCWs in Kenya. In a mixed methods study, respondents were from eight selected counties across the country. An online survey (n = 746), key informant interviews (n = 18) and focus group discussions (n = 3) were conducted. The data were analyzed concurrently. Quantitative data showed that all the 3C antecedents were strong predictors of vaccine acceptability. The association of vaccine acceptability was strongest with convenience (aOR 20.13, 95% CI 9.01-44.96), then complacency (aOR 10.15, 95% CI 4.63-22.21) and confidence (aOR 6.37, 95% CI 2.90-14.02). Marital status was a significant independent factor associated with vaccine acceptability (aOR 2.70, 95% CI 1.20-6.08). Qualitatively, convenience presented as the no-cost availability of vaccines at the health facilities, whereas non-complacency manifested from the first-hand observed experience of COVID cases, and the need to protect oneself and family members. Confidence was mainly attributed to increased knowledge, resulting from multiple training sessions and trust in regulatory authorities. Other social factors including workplace pressure, religion and misinformation had a role in influencing HCW vaccination decisions. In the background of a pandemic, the 3C model is a strong predictor of vaccine acceptability, and making the vaccines easily available and convenient to HCWs significantly impacts their uptake.

A Systematic Review of Population-Based Studies Assessing Knowledge, Attitudes, Acceptance, and Hesitancy of Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women towards the COVID-19 Vaccine.

The anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is recommended for pregnant women due to the high risk of complications. However, pregnancy has been associated with vaccine hesitancy. Our review aims at summarizing the existing literature about anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccine hesitancy in pregnant and lactating women. The research was conducted on PubMed/MEDLINE, ExcerptaMedica Database (EMBASE), and Scopus, according to PRISMA guidelines. Articles regarding the COVID-19 vaccine's acceptance and/or refusal by pregnant and lactating women were selected. Only observational, population-based studies were included. The Joanna Briggs Institute quality assessment tools were employed. A total of 496 articles were retrieved, and after the selection process, 21 papers were included in the current analysis. All the included studies were cross-sectional, mostly from Europe and North America. The sample sizes ranged between 72 and 25,111 subjects. All of them included pregnant subjects, except one that focused on breastfeeding women only. Vaccine hesitancy rates ranged from 26% to 57% among different studies. Fear of adverse events and lack of knowledge were shown to be the main drivers of hesitancy. Approximately half of the studies (11/21) were classified as low quality, the remaining (9/21) were classified as moderate, and only one study was classified as high quality. Primigravidae were also shown to be more likely to accept anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Our findings confirm significant anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccine hesitancy among pregnant women. Information gaps should be addressed to contain concerns related to adverse events.

The Role of Awareness, Attitude and Performance of Students of Yazd City in Acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine in 1400

Introduction: Preventive behaviors are among the most important strategies to fight against COVID-19. The level of awareness, attitude and performance of people towards COVID-19 is of great importance in accepting or doubting to receive the vaccine. The purpose of the current research is to investigate the role of awareness, attitude and performance of COVID-19 regarding the acceptance of the vaccine among university students in Yazd.&#x0D; Methods: This was a cross-sectional and descriptive-analytical study based on the web. The studied population included university students in Yazd city. 392 students were selected by available sampling method. The questionnaires were completed online. To collect data, a standard questionnaire of awareness, attitude, performance, and acceptance of the vaccine was used. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis through SPSS 20 software.&#x0D; Results: The results showed that the level of awareness, attitude and performance of female students was significantly higher than male students (p&lt;0/05). The vaccine's acceptance level had no significant relationship with demographic characteristics. Also, the average score of awareness, attitude and performance of students who accepted the vaccine was higher than the students who did not believe in the vaccine; but, this result was not statistically significant (p&lt;0/05).&#x0D; Conclusion: Considering the important role of people's awareness, attitude and performance towards COVID-19 in disease prevention, it seems that other factors such as the benefits and risks of the vaccine and the level of people's trust in the government and their country had an effect on the acceptance of the vaccine.

Religious and Racial/Ethnic Differences in Flu and COVID-19 Vaccination Intentions

ABSTRACT Vaccination is an effective public health initiative to reduce severe illness and death due to COVID-19. Vaccine uptake in the United States has been uneven, however. One proposed mechanism to improve vaccine uptake is to engage religious groups to provide health information and encourage vaccination. It remains unclear though if Americans with differing racial/ethnic identities and religious affiliations are equally likely to receive health-related information in religious settings and endorse COVID-19 vaccination. We assessed data from the 2020–2021 National Politics Study, which utilized a national research panel of U.S. adults. Using logistic regression and a treatment effects approach, we found that having heard health-related messages in religious settings and endorsing progressive religious ideology were associated with increased COVID-19 and flu vaccine acceptance. This relationship was stronger among White American worship-goers. These findings suggest that partnerships with religious organizations may be important if additional barriers to vaccination are also addressed.

Can Risk Communication Surveillance Prompt COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance among Internet users? Applying the Situational Theory of Problem Solving: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The World Health Organization has recently raised concerns about the low number of fully vaccinated people against COVID-19 among developing countries. The low ratio of fully vaccinated people and the emergence of renewed infectious variants correspond to worsening public health. Global health managers have highlighted COVID-19 vaccine-related infodemics as the significant risk perception factor that hinders mass vaccination campaigns. Given the ambiguous digital communication environment which has fostered infodemics, developing nations struggle to boost public willingness to get people fully vaccinated. Authorities have launched some risk communication-laden digital interventions in response to infodemics. However, the value of these risk communication strategies employed to tackle infodemics needs to be evaluated. The current research using the tenets of the situational theory of problem-solving is novel, as it explores the impending effects of risk communication strategies. The relationship between infodemic-induced risk perception about COVID-19 vaccine safety and risk communication actions to intensify willingness to get fully vaccinated was examined. This research used a cross-sectional research design vis-à-vis nationally representative online survey. We collected data from 1946 internet users across Pakistan. Participants voluntarily participated in this research after filling consent form and reading the ethical permissions. Responses were received over three months, from May 2022 to July 2022. The results delineated that infodemics positively affect risk perception. This realization pushed the public to engage in risky communicative actions through reliance on and search for accurate information. Therefore, the prospect of managing infodemics through risk information exposure (e.g., digital interventions) using the situational context could predict robust willingness to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The pioneering results offer strategic considerations for health authorities to effectively man-age the descending spiral of optimal protection against COVID-19. This research concludes that the likelihood of managing infodemics using the situational context through exposure to relevant information could improve one's knowledge of forfending and selection, which can lead to robust protection against COVID-19. Hence, more situation-specific information about the underpinning problem (i.e., selection of appropriate vaccine) can be made accessible through several official digital sources to achieve a more active public health response.

COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among pregnant women: a hospital-based cross-sectional study in Sudan.

Pregnancy increases the risk of developing a severe illness due to COVID-19 infection. To the best of our knowledge, no previous study has been conducted on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among pregnant women in Sudan. Hence, this study aimed to determine COVID-19 vaccination acceptance and its predictors among pregnant women. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 623 pregnant women attending Gadarif maternity hospital in eastern Sudan through a structured questionnaire. Data were obtained on sociodemographic characteristics, obstetric and health-related characteristics, COVID-19 infection, and vaccination-related information, as well as beliefs about and acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination. COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among the pregnant women was 2.7%. The vaccine acceptance was higher if their husband's education was secondary school or higher [adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 4.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.11-16.65, p = 0.035] and discussion of COVID-19 vaccine with the pregnant women by a health care professional in the hospital (AOR 5.46, 95% CI 1.94-15.35, p < 0.001). The most common reasons for resistance to the vaccine were concerns about the side effects of the vaccine for the mother and her baby. Acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccination among the pregnant women was very low. Discussions with pregnant women and their husbands by health care professionals regarding the safety of COVID-19 vaccine for the mother and her baby are highly recommended.

COVID-19 Vaccine Refusal and Medical Distrust Held by Correctional Officers.

This study explores COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among prison security staff and the extent to which they trust varied sources of information about the vaccines. Cross-sectional survey data were obtained from a state-wide sample of corrections officers (COs, hereafter; n = 1208) in February 2021. Group differences, disaggregated by demographic characteristics, were examined using F-tests and t-tests. Despite the comparatively limited risk of contracting the virus, non-security staff reported they would accept a COVID-19 vaccine at no cost (74%), compared to their more vulnerable CO counterparts (49%). We observed vaccine refusal correlations between COs' reported gender, age, and length of time working as a CO, but none with their self-reported race. Vaccine refusal was more prevalent among womxn officers, younger officers, and those who had spent less time working as prison security staff. Our findings also suggest that the only trusted source of information about vaccines were family members and only for officers who would refuse the vaccine; the quality of trust placed in those sources, however, was not substantially positive and did not vary greatly across CO racial groups. By highlighting characteristics of the observed gaps in COVID-19 vaccine acceptance between COs and their non-security staff coworkers, as well as between corrections officers of varied demographic backgrounds, these findings can inform the development of responsive and accepted occupational health policies for communities both inside and intrinsically linked to prisons.

Community centred co-design methodology for designing and implementing socio-behavioural interventions to counter COVID-19 related misinformation among marginalized population living in the squatter settlements of Karachi, Pakistan: a methodology paper

BackgroundMisinformation regarding COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination is damaging COVID-19 vaccine trust and acceptance in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC). Identification of misinformation and designing locally acceptable solutions are needed to improve COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. This study aimed to utilize community-led co-design methodology to evaluate misinformation regarding COVID-19 and develop contextual interventions to address misinformation in a marginalized peri urban slum communities of Landhi town Karachi, Pakistan.MethodsThis study was conducted between January and December 2021, in marginalized peri-urban slum dwellers of Muslimabad Colony, Landhi Town Karachi, Pakistan. We used a community-centred co-design methodology embedded within mixed study design to identify misinformation, co-design, test and implement locally acceptable solutions. The co-design methodology involved five stages of the design thinking model: (1) Empathize, (2) Define, (3) Ideate, (4) Prototype, and (5) Test. The project involved active engagement and participation of wide range of stakeholders and community beneficiaries (end users) including local EPI vaccinators, informal healthcare workers, religious leaders (male and female), schoolteachers (male and female), local government representatives, community leaders, housewives, youth, and general population. To develop a trusting relationship, and understand local culture, values, practices, and traditions, we allowed one month of observation period (observe, engage, watch, and listen) in the beginning, followed by door-to-door survey along with focus group discussions (FGD) and in-depth interviews (IDI) at baseline. Co-design workshops (separate for male and female) were conducted at each stage of co-design methodology to design and test locally acceptable solutions.ConclusionCommunity-centred co-design methodology was not only successful in designing, testing, and evaluating locally acceptable solutions but it also actively engaged and empowered the marginalized population living in peri urban slum communities of Karachi, Pakistan.

The heterogeneous effects of social support on the adoption of Facebook’s vaccine profile frames feature

Achieving widespread COVID-19 vaccine acceptance is a key step to global recovery from the pandemic, but hesitancy towards vaccination remains a major challenge. Social proof, where a person’s attitude towards vaccination is influenced by their belief in the attitudes of their social network, has been shown to be effective for making in-roads upon hesitancy. However, it is not easy to know the attitudes of one’s network, nor reliably signal one’s own feelings towards COVID-19 vaccines, minimizing the impact of the social influence channel. To address this issue, Facebook launched a feature that enables users to overlay a message indicating that they support vaccination upon their profile picture. To raise awareness of these vaccine profile frames (VPFs), users received a variety of promotional messages from Facebook, a subset of which contained the social context of friends who had already adopted the frame. Leveraging this variation in promotional messaging, we analyzed the adoption pattern of VPFs in the US to determine the most effective strategies to drive VPF usage. We found that adoption is driven by a pattern of complex diffusion, where multiple exposures to the adoption decisions of others increased VPF uptake, and that there is substantial heterogeneity in the adoption response associated with prior vaccine beliefs, whether the promotion had a social component and closeness of the tie included in social promotions. Specifically, we observed resistance to adoption correlated with an aversion to follow authoritative health pages and stronger adoption effects from social promotions containing close friends. We also confirmed this finding of the value of strong ties through a randomized field experiment and heterogeneous treatment effects modeling. In contrast to studies that have shown the importance of less close relationships in vaccine decision-making, we found little effect from awareness of VPF adoption by weak ties. Finally, we detected no significant backfire effect for expressing support for COVID-19 vaccines via VPFs. Together, these results suggest that social proof provided by close friends may be a key driver for messaging campaigns intended to drive prosocial behavior such as publicly promoting vaccination and that these campaigns do not necessarily come with adverse experiences for adopters, even for a polarizing issue such as vaccines.

COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance Among Latino/a Immigrants: The Role of Collective Responsibility and Confidence.

Research on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy has been sparse among Latino/a immigrants, a population at high risk for infection. This exploratory study examines rates of vaccine acceptance and its association with psychological antecedents of vaccination among Latino/a immigrants. A cross-sectional telephone survey on perceptions of COVID-19 was administered between October 2020 to February 2021 in South Florida to 200 adult Latino/a immigrants. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis, and logistic regression were employed to determine the influence of independent variables on vaccine acceptance. Most participants indicated a willingness to get vaccinated. Participants with higher confidence (aOR = 10.2, 95% CI: 4.8-21.8) and collective responsibility scores were (aOR = 3.1, 95%CI:1.3-6.9) more likely to report vaccine acceptance than those with lower scores. No other psychological antecedents or demographic variables were significantly associated with vaccine acceptance. Study results provide insights into motivating factors for vaccination that can inform culturally tailored education campaigns to increase vaccine acceptability in this population.

Predictors and prevalence of COVID-19 vaccination in patients with focal epilepsy following resection surgery

Background and purposeIn light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination has emerged as the primary and most effective solution. The aim of this study was to examine compliance rates of vaccination and explore the factors that predict vaccine uptake among patients with epilepsy (PWE) who have undergone resection surgery. MethodTo examine the variations in vaccination coverage, safety concerns, and factors influencing vaccination hesitancy among PWE who have undergone resection surgery, this study recruited patients with at least one-year follow-up. We utilized questionnaires to gather clinical characteristics and obtain information regarding COVID-19 vaccines. ResultsAmong the 303 patients included in the study, a majority of 229 (75.58%) achieved a seizure-free outcome (Engel Ia). Of these patients, 178 (58.75%) received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and the vaccination rate has remained relatively consistent over the past six months. Nearly 94.95% of those who received the vaccine completed the full vaccination regimen, with the majority (n = 174, 97.75%) opting for an inactivated vaccine. Only three patients reported side effects unrelated to epilepsy, and one patient experienced a worsening of typical aura seizures within one month after vaccination. Notably, significant positive associations were observed between COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and adulthood (age 18 years or older) (OR = 1.820, 95% CI = 1.018–3.252, p = 0.043) as well as achieving a seizure-free outcome (OR = 2.823, 95% CI = 1.619–4.921, p < 0.001). Regarding the unvaccinated patients, approximately one-fifth expressed willingness to receive a future COVID-19 vaccine, while the remainder were hesitant (41.60%) or unsure (39.20%) about vaccination. These reservations mainly stemmed from concerns about the potential worsening of seizures and vaccine safety. ConclusionsInactivated vaccines can be considered safe for individuals with epilepsy who have undergone resection surgery. The likelihood of being vaccinated was found to be comparatively higher among the cohort with seizure-free status or adults. To promote COVID-19 vaccination among children, it is crucial to implement comprehensive education and public awareness campaigns that emphasize the safety of vaccines. These efforts will help encourage widespread acceptance of vaccination and ensure the well-being of individuals with epilepsy.

RELIGION, TRUST IN GOVERNMENT AND COVID-19 VACCINE ACCEPTANCE IN AFRICA

The development of vaccines to combat the COVID-19 pandemic brought a huge relief to governments, health workers, and citizens around the globe. However, some citizens are not willing to get vaccinated. Some researchers have attributed this vaccine hesitancy to religion and trust in the government handling the pandemic. This research aims to investigate the impact of these two factors on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in Africa. We used data from round 8 of the Afrobarometer survey with a sample size of 6,057 participants. Means, proportions, standard deviations, and ordered logistic regressions were used in the analysis. The results show that Christians and members of other religions such as Hinduism and Hare Krishna were more likely to accept COVID-19 vaccines. In addition, the study found that people who hold some beliefs about the vaccines were less likely to get vaccinated. Finally, citizens who trust the government’s handling of the pandemic were more willing to accept COVID-19 vaccination. Based on these findings, a number of religious health promotion measures are proposed.

The acceptance and determinants of COVID-19 vaccine among the hospital attendants in Qena city

The acceptance and determinants of COVID-19 vaccine among the hospital attendants in Qena city