Acceptance and Hesitancy Toward the Covid-19 Vaccine Among Medical Students in Kabul, Afghanistan

Abstract

Introduction Vaccine hesitancy is defined as “delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccination despite the availability of vaccination services”. The low acceptance rate of covid-19 vaccination, reported in many countries, is a big challenge in efforts toward putting end to the pandemic. Objective In this study, we aim to find ‎ the acceptance and hesitancy rates toward Covid-19 vaccine along with its reasons among medical students in Kabul. Methodology In this cross-sectional study that was conducted among medical students of five randomly selected universities in Kabul, a total of 459 medical students completed the questionnaire. Results The hesitancy rate for covid-19 vaccine among medical students was 42.3%, hesitancy rate in males was more than in female students. The essential reason for refusing of the vaccine was concerns about safety and adverse effect of the vaccine (62.3%). More than half of the participants (51.5%) have already been vaccinated. In 60.2% of participants, protection against the COVID-19 virus was the main reason for accepting the vaccine. This study indicates that social media was the leading source (64.3%) of information about vaccine hesitancy. Conclusion This study indicates a high level of hesitancy toward the COVID-19 vaccine among medical students. It is strongly advised to deliver accurate information on the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines to the community especially, medical students.