Are Fear of COVID-19 and Vaccine Hesitancy Associated with COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake? A Population-Based Online Survey in Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the association between COVID-19 and fear of contracting COVID-19 and reasons for vaccination refusal. A population-based online survey was conducted via social media in Nigeria using the Fear of COVID-19 scale and items related to vaccination refusal/hesitancy items. Individuals aged 13 years and older were invited to participate. Data were analysed using binary logistic regression to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and associated 95% confidence intervals (CIs) at a p-value of less than 0.05. The study enrolled 577 individuals with a mean age of 31.86 years, 70% of whom were male and 27.7% of whom had received at least one dose of the vaccine against COVID-19. None of the variables on the Fear of COVID-19 scale significantly predicted vaccine uptake in multivariate analysis. However, individuals who were fearful of COVID-19 were more likely to be vaccinated in bivariate analysis (OR: 1.7, 95% CI: 1.06–2.63). The most significant factors among the vaccination refusal items associated with COVID-19 vaccination were doubts about vaccination (adjusted OR: 2.56, 95% CI: 1.57–4.17) and misconceptions about vaccine safety/efficacy (adjusted OR: 2.15, 95% CI: 1.24–3.71). These results suggest that uptake of the vaccine against COVID-19 in Nigeria can be predicted by factors associated with vaccination refusal, but not by fear of COVID-19. To contain the pandemic COVID-19 in Nigeria, efforts should be made to educate people about the efficacy of the vaccine and to increase their confidence in vaccination.

Factors Influencing the Intention and Uptake of COVID-19 Vaccines on the African Continent: A Scoping Review

“…Omar and Hani [59] reported the highest VH rate (54% in Egypt) for uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine. The subsequent studies reported that participants had been vaccinated against COVID-19 [30,35,40,50,52,61]. Of those three studies [35,50,61], it was indicated that above 50% of their participants were vaccinated with at least one dose.…”

“…Thirty-three studies (n = 33) highlighted the barriers associated with COVID-19 vaccine uptake. Of those twenty-nine studies (n = 29) cited fears over potential side effects and the newly developed vaccine being unsafe for the African population [27,29,30,[32][33][34][35][36][37][40][41][42][43][44][45]48,50,[54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64].…”

“…Respondents also had religious beliefs (e.g., the vaccine contains the mark of the beast) [44,60], and would not accept the COVID-19 vaccine from Western or European countries [29,49], which resulted in poor vaccine uptake. One study (n = 1) reported on participants being afraid of needles [63], having a negative perception of the vaccine [30], having a prior diagnosis of COVID-19 [64], and preferring alternative treatments to the COVID-19 vaccine (e.g., drugs such as hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, and ivermectin) [27] and negative past experiences with vaccines [40].…”

Analysis of individual characteristics influencing user polarization in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.

“…“Vaccine hesitancy” refers to the public's indecisive attitude toward vaccination, an intermediate state between total acceptance and strong resistance known as vaccine denial ( MacDonald & Hesitancy, 2015 ). Conspiracy theories, misunderstandings, and questions about side effects may turn vaccine hesitancy into vaccine denial ( Chutiyami et al, 2022 ). However, evidence-based communication and effective media organization strategies may convert vaccine denial to vaccine hesitancy and then mass vaccination ( Khubchandani et al, 2021 ).…”

Differences in COVID-19 Vaccination and Experiences among Patients with Hypertension in Colombia and Jamaica during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Conceptual frameworks such as the "three Cs model of vaccine hesitancy" indicate that complacency or low perceived risk of vaccine preventable diseases as well as convenience (e.g. availability and acceptability) and confidence (or trust) are the main factors that influence vaccine hesitancy (22,23). Of note, 44.4% of Jamaica's participants were willing to be vaccinated, if available, suggesting that "convenience" or accessibility of COVID-19 vaccines may have contributed to the low uptake despite the establishment of fixed vaccination sites across the island.…”