ATTITUDE AND PERCEIVED RISK TOWARDS COVID-19 IMMUNIZATION

Several vaccines have been approved against COVID-19 infectious disease and are being given to pop-ulations in different regions of the world. But, the number of people getting vaccines are quite less than the targeted population for whom the vaccines are being kept for immunization purpose. Therefore, the study aimed to investigate the attitude and perceived risk towards COVID-19 vaccination decision in Bangladesh. An exploratory population-based survey was conducted among 186 general individuals chosen purposively from the metropolitan area of Dhaka. The survey was conducted using a structured and self-administered questionnaire. Multiple linear regression technique was performed to determine the variables predicting immunization decision. The findings reflect a significant positive attitude along with insignificant risk-taking behaviour towards COVID-19 immunization decision among the general population in Bangladesh.

Vaccination Against COVID-19 as a Christian Duty? A Risk-Analytic Approach

The Covid-19 pandemic inspired a fierce discussion on pros and cons of vaccinations among Christians. Frequently, this emotional dispute is not based on facts, and this might be due to the fact that the decision situation (“to be vaccinate or not to be vaccinated”) is quite complex. In this paper we develop a risk-analytic model of the vaccination decision and explain the benefits of vaccinations against SARS-Cov-2 on different levels. Furthermore, we show that the Great Commandment of love calls for avoiding all harm to the neighbor even if this harm is indirect and under uncertainty. Consequently, it is a Christian duty to love one’s neighbor and be vaccinated.

Parents’ Decisions to Vaccinate Children against COVID-19: A Scoping Review

Since 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in sickness, hospitalizations, and deaths of the old and young and impacted global social and economy activities. Vaccination is one of the most important and efficient ways to protect against the COVID-19 virus. In a review of the literature on parents’ decisions to vaccinate their children, we found that widespread vaccination was hampered by vaccine hesitancy, especially for children who play an important role in the coronavirus transmission in both family and school. To analyze parent vaccination decision-making for children, our review of the literature on parent attitudes to vaccinating children, identified the objective and subjective influencing factors in their vaccination decision. We found that the median rate of parents vaccinating their children against COVID-19 was 59.3% (IQR 48.60~73.90%). The factors influencing parents’ attitudes towards child vaccination were heterogeneous, reflecting country-specific factors, but also displaying some similar trends across countries, such as the education level of parents. The leading reason in the child vaccination decision was to protect children, family and others; and the fear of side effects and safety was the most important reason in not vaccinating children. Our study informs government and health officials about appropriate vaccination policies and measures to improve the vaccination rate of children and makes specific recommendations on enhancing child vaccinate rates.

The acceptability of COVID-19 vaccination during spring crisis in Myanmar

Background: During the spring crisis, the coup and COVID-19 have led to a weakening vaccination program and Myanmar’s coronavirus prevention measures have been collapsed. The objective of this study was to determine the COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and assess its associated factors among the general adult population in Myanmar.Methods: A cross-sectional, web-based survey was conducted with a total of 301 participants. The association between vaccine acceptability and its determinants was assessed by binary logistic regression analysis.Results: The majority (90.4%) responded that they would like to accept vaccination if it is successfully developed and approved for listing in the future. Among the respondents, two-fifths (40.5%) had already received 1st dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 86.4% of the respondents thought that doctor’s recommendation is a crucial factor in vaccination decision-making, while 70.4% responded that vaccine price is an essential factor. If the younger age of participants who possessed lower monthly household income and agreed that the doctor’s recommendation is an important factor in vaccine decision making, the probability of accepting vaccine was more chance than those of older age participants.Conclusions: The study highlighted that majority of the respondents wanted to accept the vaccine although they were concerned about the side effects and political unrest. It is the recommended to develop a strategy successfully to strengthen vaccine convenience.

Vaccinating against COVID-19: The Correlation between Pro-Vaccination Attitudes and the Belief That Our Peers Want to Get Vaccinated

This study verifies whether there is a strong correlation between the pro-vaccination, against COVID-19 attitude of the respondents and their belief that most of those around them want to be vaccinated against COVID-19. For this purpose, we analyzed data from a sociological survey conducted in April 2021 in Romania. The sample size was of 1001 respondents, the selection process was randomized and the population included in the sample is representative of the socio-demographic structure of Romania. The tool used to collect the data was CATI (telephonic interview). In order to test the existence of these correlations we performed the following tests: Chi-Square test, Kendall τ, Spearman ρ tests and Freeman’s z-test. The pro-vaccination attitude strongly correlates with the perception of subjects that their primary group accepts vaccination and even correlates with the perception that the general public is rather pro-vaccination. The vaccination decision is closely linked to the social relations system and the rules of the community in which the subject lives. In this paper we discuss the correlation between attitude and belief, not the existence of a causal relation between the two of them.

COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Acceptance among Medical Students: An Online Cross-sectional Study in Iraq

BACKGROUND: Vaccine hesitancy and reluctant had an important obstacle in achieving protection and population immunity against coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19). It is essential to achieve high COVID-19 vaccination acceptance rates among medical students and health care workers to provide recommendations and counseling vaccine hesitant population. AIM: This study aims to identify level of COVID-19 hesitancy, attitude, knowledge, and factors that affect vaccination decision. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was done among medical students in Al-Kindy College of Medicine, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq. Data collection was done through an online Google Forms questionnaire during 2021 from 810 medical students. RESULTS: A total of 810 adults’ medical students participated in this study. The majority of the study participants were female (488, 60.2%) while males were 322, 39.8%. Vaccine concept hesitancy among males was 65.21% and rest were vaccinated (34.78%) (OR = 0.13) (95% CI = 0.096–0.177) (p = 0.0001). Same hesitancy from COVID-19 vaccine was same with females (66.80%). CONCLUSIONS: This study evaluated and shed light on vaccine hesitancy among sample of Iraqi medical students toward COVID-19 vaccination program and considered medical students as leaders and guides in the health system for increased planning and education of the population for COVID-19 vaccine acceptability.

COVID-19 Anti-Vaccine Sentiments: Analyses of Comments from Social Media

Purpose: This study analyzed the insights and sentiments of COVID-19 anti-vaccine comments from Instagram feeds and Facebook postings. The sentiments related to the acceptance and effectiveness of the vaccines that were on the verge of being made available to the public. Patients and methods: The qualitative software QSR-NVivo 10 was used to manage, code, and analyse the data. Results: The analyses uncovered several major issues concerning COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. The production of the COVID-19 vaccine at an unprecedented speed evoked the fear of skipping steps that would compromise vaccine safety. The unknown long-term effects and duration of protection erode confidence in taking the vaccines. There were also persistent concerns with regard to vaccine compositions that could be harmful or contain aborted foetal cells. The rate of COVID-19 death was viewed as low. Many interpreted the 95% effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine as insufficient. Preference for immunity gains from having an infection was viewed as more effective. Peer-reviewed publication-based data were favoured as a source of trust in vaccination decision-making. Conclusions: The anti-COVID-19 vaccine sentiments found in this study provide important insights for the formulation of public health messages to instill confidence in the vaccines.

COVID-19 Vaccinations: A Comprehensive Review of Their Safety and Efficacy in Special Populations

COVID-19 has been spreading worldwide since late 2019. There is no definitive cure to date. Global vaccination programs are urgently required to confer herd immunity, reducing the incidence of COVID-19 infections and associated morbidity and mortality. However, a significant proportion of special populations are hesitant to receive vaccination due to their special conditions, namely, age (pediatrics and geriatrics), immunocompromised state, autoimmune diseases, chronic cardiovascular and pulmonary conditions, active or treated cancers, and pregnancy. This review aims to evaluate the existing evidence of COVID-19 vaccinations on these special populations and to provide clues to guide vaccination decision making to balance the benefits and risks of vaccinations.