COVID-19 vaccine and booster hesitation around the world: A literature review

Abstract

The development of COVID-19 vaccines has helped limit the extent of the pandemic, which over the past 2 years has claimed the lived of millions of people. The Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines were the first to be manufactured using mRNA technology. Since then, other manufacturers have built their own vaccines which utilize adenovirus vector, whole inactivated coronavirus, and protein subunit methods. Given the continued mutation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, a booster of the COVID-19 vaccine offers additional protection for citizens, especially those with comorbid conditions. However, uptake of the vaccine and booster has faced hurdles. This literature review aims to analyze the acceptance of the COVID-19 booster among different populations throughout the world. Keywords searched include “COVID-19 vaccine rates OR COVID-19 booster rates,” “COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy,” “COVID-19 booster hesitancy,” “reasons against COVID-19 vaccine,” “reasons for COVID-19 vaccine,” and “COVID-19 vaccine acceptance” (for each country). Research articles indexed in PubMed, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library, and Google Scholar were included. Despite the proven effectiveness of the COVID-19 booster, vaccine hesitancy is still causing suboptimal compliance to the primary vaccine and booster, thus slowing down control of the pandemic. Reasons for vaccine hesitancy differ by country and acceptance is affected by misinformation, political circumstances, and cultural values. Among the most common reasons found are distrust in the government, a lack of safety information, and fear of side effects. Uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine has also been delayed in low and middle income countries due to resource allocation and as a result, these countries have fallen behind vaccination benchmarks. The future of COVID-19 vaccination is unknown, but vaccine mandates and additional booster doses are a possibility. Determining the ethical impact that these policies could have will allow for the best implementation.

Coverage of primary and booster vaccination against COVID-19 by socioeconomic level: A nationwide cross-sectional registry study

“…Rapid vaccine development and the use of novel mRNA vaccine technology are factors that may be associated with COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. 31 , 32 More generally, factors that may influence decisions regarding vaccination include trust in the effectiveness/safety of vaccines and/or in the system that delivers them, perception of disease risk, structural and psychological factors related to access and pragmatics, proneness to extensive information searching, and willingness to protect others. 33 Our study does not address the root causes of coverage inequalities, and we thus do not know the relative importance of these potential determinants for the coverage differences we observe.…”

A Cross-Sectional Factor Analysis of COVID-19 and Influenza Vaccination Decisions in a Racially Diverse Western Pennsylvania Community

“…This is aligned with global trends that have shown that populations who are largely non-white or live in a collectivist society share a common attitude about the social responsibility to be vaccinated against COVID-19. 22,23 One study found that countries with predominantly collectivist cultures such as China, India, Peru, and South Korea had greatest support for requiring vaccines, while support for mandatory vaccines was lowest in Poland, Russia, and Germany. 23 There are obvious nuances to this statement, with vaccine uptake often depending on availability of supplies and services, as low vaccination uptake was often seen in African countries.…”

Validation of N Protein Antibodies to Diagnose Previous SARS-CoV-2 Infection in a Large Cohort of Healthcare Workers: Use of Roche Elecsys® Immunoassay in the S Protein Vaccination Era

“…mRNA vaccines and other vaccines can induce this response against the S protein [25]. Global vaccination rates range from 40-90% depending on the country [26]. This makes the serological diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection difficult because it is impossible to distinguish antibodies against the S protein by infection vs. those produced by vaccination.…”