Determinants for Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccine in Nigeria

Abstract

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic heralded an unprecedented race to the development of several vaccine candidates at record speeds never seen in global health. Within nine months, Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine was approved by the United States FDA. Unfortunately, while these advances were ongoing, there was a burgeoning epidemic of disinformation about the virus and the vaccines that affected the willingness of people, especially minority groups, to get vaccinated. In Nigeria, this wave of vaccine hesitancy was happening against the backdrop of landmark pharmaceutical litigations such as the 2007 Pfizer trovafloxacin lawsuit in the country. Aim: To assess the determinants of the COVID-19 vaccine's acceptability among Nigerians. Materials and methods: Following ethical approval, a population-based cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2020 to January 2021 using an adapted pretested, self-administered questionnaire originally designed by Amyn Malik and colleagues who conducted a similar study at Yale University School of Public Health. The participants were recruited through simple random sampling using a list of community and corporate sites obtained from Google Maps in the three regional zones of Nigeria (north, east, and west) in diverse occupational and residential settings. Information obtained includes socio-demographics, medical history related to COVID-19, level of knowledge, risk perception, and attitudes toward COVID-19 and the vaccines. Descriptive and inferential statistics were done, and results were summarized into percentages and associations. The level of statistical significance was set at a p-value of <0.05. Using the open EpiR package (Emory), we determined a minimum of 340 participants for a statistical power of 80%. Results: A total of 358 responses were obtained out of the 120 questionnaires distributed in each of the three regions, of which 189 (53%) were females. The mean age of respondents was 32 years (±11.2 SD). About 75% of the participants had at least a college education. The majority (66.2%) of the participants were willing to accept the approved vaccine. The mean risk perception score for COVID-19 was 5.1 (±2.2 SD) out of 10, while the mean COVID-19 symptom knowledge score was 8.6 (±4.1 SD) out of 19. Variables such as being male, identifying as Christian, Hausa ethnicity, and living in northern Nigeria had a statistically significant relationship with the willingness to get vaccinated. Conclusion: Over 60% of Nigerians are willing to take the COVID-19 vaccines if recommended by health workers. We found male gender, religion, ethnicity, and geographical location to positively influence the willingness of Nigerians to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Health workers should be supported to go beyond the confines of the hospital to educate the general public in schools, marketplaces, churches, and corporate organizations on the efficacy and safety of the approved vaccines.

Predictors of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in South African Local Communities: The VaxScenes Study

“…The Ipsos [ 49 ] study (country = 15, participants = 5932) conducted in partnership with the World Economic Forum found that perceptions of risk to health (side effects and speed of vaccine to market) perfectly described the reason for unwillingness to vaccinate against COVID-19. A similar pattern was reported in Ghana [ 50 ] and Nigeria [ 51 ]. Furthermore, in a survey of 5416 Africans, 37% of participants were hesitant to accept the COVID-19 immunization once available to them (with the highest level of hesitancy observed among participants from Central Africa; 67%), and 79% were concerned about its negative effects [ 52 ].…”

COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance and Hesitancy: A Continental Review

“…Surprisingly, celebrities' and leaders' advocacy on the COVID-19 vaccine would have no effect on respondents' decision to be vaccinated (69.3%) [18]. While most respondents (over 60%) in another study were willing to be vaccinated if recommended by their healthcare provider or health agencies [40]. The evading risk associated with COVID-19 severity was the most prevalent motivator [18].…”

“…Among healthcare staff and students in South Africa [40,41], most respondents are confident of vaccine effectiveness (97.4%), compatible with their religious beliefs (96.1%), important and safe (95.4%), and are willing to accept the vaccine (89.5%). In contrast, most respondents (74%) among 200 cancer patients surveyed had concerns about vaccine safety and effectiveness and the ability of the health authorities to vaccinate the Tunisian population [42].…”

Regional Analysis of Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccines in Nigeria

“…There have been several studies [13][14][15][16][17][18][19] on COVID-19 vaccine development, distribution, accessibility and impact. Studies [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27] on public responses regarding acceptance of vaccines are likewise increasing in number, providing global, continental and national coverage. However, there is a lack of research on the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines in Nigeria within its regional context.…”