Uncertainty and unwillingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in adults residing in Puerto Rico: Assessment of perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors

Abstract

Background: Widespread vaccination against COVID-19 is essential to control the pandemic. Estimates of unwillingness and uncertainty toward COVID-19 vaccination and factors associated with it remain unclear among adults in Puerto Rico (PR). Objective: To examine factors associated with uncertainty and unwillingness of COVID-19 vaccination among adults in PR. Methods: The Health Belief Model was used to develop an online survey. Analyses included adjusted logistic regressions (aOR). A total of 1,911 adults completed the survey from December 2020 to February 2021. Results: Overall, 76.2% were females, 33.7% were aged 50 or older, and 82.7% reported an intent to get vaccinated. Individuals who did not perceive that their chances of getting COVID-19 were high (aOR = 2.94; 95%CI = 2.24-3.86), that getting COVID-19 was not a possibility for them (aOR = 2.86; 95% CI = 2.19-3.74), or unafraid of getting COVID-19 (aOR = 3.80; 95%CI = 2.76-5.23) had higher odds of uncertainty and unwillingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Participants who perceived that COVID-19 complications were not serious also had higher odds of uncertainty and unwillingness (aOR = 7.50; 95%CI = 3.94-14.3), whereas those who did not perceive that they would get very sick with COVID-19 had 89% increased odds. Those who agreed that they would only take the vaccine if many individuals took it had higher odds of uncertainty and unwillingness (aOR = 3.32; 95%CI = 2.49-4.43). The most reported reasons for uncertainty and unwillingness toward COVID-19 vaccination were vaccine safety (63.8%), efficacy (49.4%), and novelty (45.5%). Discussion: Although COVID-19 vaccination intent was high, the study highlights concern over vaccine safety and efficacy that should be addressed by public health campaigns and interventions to enhance vaccine uptake.

Acceptance towards COVID-19 vaccination in Latin America and the Caribbean: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…After the elimination of duplicate studies, we assessed the titles and abstracts of the 434 remaining studies, and 401 articles were eliminated because they did not match the selection criteria. A total of 33 studies were read in full-text and 19 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis and 18 in the quantitative synthesis [ 10 , 13 , [23] , [24] , [25] , [26] , [27] , [28] , [29] , [30] , [31] , [32] , [33] , [34] , [35] , [36] , [37] , [38] , [39] ]. We did not include the study of Villareal-Garza et al in the meta-analysis of non-pregnant women, because the study population was specifically women with breast cancer whereas the population of the remaining articles was made up of individuals without a specific pathology.…”

Religiosity and Beliefs toward COVID-19 Vaccination among Adults in Puerto Rico

“…The present study was a secondary analysis that used data from a previously described cross-sectional study [ 19 ]. In summary, an anonymous web-based questionnaire was conducted in Puerto Rico and collected data through a convenience sampling approach.…”

“…Understanding how religiosity is associated with HBM constructs in the context of COVID-19 vaccination may help create effective vaccination campaigns. Previous studies, including one in Puerto Rico, have shown that HBM constructs including lower perceived COVID-19 susceptibility and severity, less perceived vaccination benefits, and more barriers contribute to lower vaccination intent [ 17 , 19 ]. Additionally, these studies documented that specific cues to action significantly impacted vaccination intent [ 17 , 19 ].…”

“…Previous studies, including one in Puerto Rico, have shown that HBM constructs including lower perceived COVID-19 susceptibility and severity, less perceived vaccination benefits, and more barriers contribute to lower vaccination intent [ 17 , 19 ]. Additionally, these studies documented that specific cues to action significantly impacted vaccination intent [ 17 , 19 ]. Thus, the present study sought to answer the following research questions: (1) is the importance of religiosity associated with COVID-19 vaccination intent among adults in Puerto Rico?…”

Protein Scaffold‐Based Multimerization of Soluble ACE2 Efficiently Blocks SARS‐CoV‐2 Infection In Vitro and In Vivo

“…Indeed, there are countries with very low vaccination rates, either for economical, logistical, or individual reasons. [12][13][14][15] As the new infections continue throughout world, emergence of novel variants of concern (VOC) such as the delta [16] or the omicron variants, [17] is inevitable. Even single mutations found in new variants may increase the pathogenicity and transmissibility of the virus and reduce the effects of vaccines.…”