Understanding Factors to COVID-19 Vaccine Adoption in Gujarat, India

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed threats to human life across the globe, including India. Vaccinating is an effective means of addressing the pandemic threat. The government of India has implemented a massive vaccination drive to save its citizens from the deadly virus. However, the effort has faced multiple challenges, including vaccine hesitancy. This research understands respondents’ perspectives on factors contributing to the lower vaccination uptake in Gujarat, India. Forty-four semi-structured interviews were conducted through convenience sampling representing different demographic backgrounds. Factors influencing vaccine adoption included religious leadership, political leadership and the government, and fear of side effects, especially among children and those with co-morbidities, resulting primarily from fake news and misinformation circulated through social media. Compared with nine countries from across the world, the study found similarities to vaccine hesitancy from misinformation and the fear of side effects among children. In contrast, the role of government and the influence of religious and political leaders was considered positive. The study recommends strategies to overcome people’s apprehensions about the adoption of vaccination. These include offering incentives, providing positive peer-to-peer communication, recruiting influencers such as religious and community leaders and early adopters such as the elderly population to endorse vaccination, targeting youth through social media, and reaching rural sections by involving NGOs and social service groups.

COVID-19 vaccination challenges: from fake news to vaccine hesitancy

“…Three studies found a relationship between likelihood of intention to vaccinate and being male [13][14][15] . One study found that greater vaccine hesitancy was associated with being male 17 , while another found the same association with being female 13 . The other studies did not find any association between vaccine hesitancy and gender.…”

“…With regard to political leanings, two studies suggested that left-wing voting could increase the likelihood of accepting the COVID-19 vaccine 13,14 . Furthermore, religious and political leaders and the government had a positive longterm influence on the decision to take the vaccine 17 and trust in health authorities and seeking information on COVID-19 in public media or websites of health authorities also positively influenced vaccination intention 13,18 .…”

“…Respondents showed a high degree of susceptibility to conspiracy theories and lack of trust in doctors led to the decision not to accept COVID-19 vaccines. Tolia V et al, 2022 17…”

“…Another study reported that trust in the national vaccine program and doctors contribute to vaccine acceptance 21 . The use of the internet and social media to increase vaccine acceptance in India, focusing on children and specific groups, was associated with increased vaccine take-up due to the spread of truthful information 17 .…”

Appraisal of COVID-19 Vaccination Acceptance in the Romanian Pregnant Population

“…With the development of effective COVID-19 vaccines, herd immunity must be achieved by the widespread vaccination of the entire population. In addition to vaccination safety, efficacy, and cost-efficiency, public acceptability is a major factor in determining overall effectiveness [19]. Since the beginning of the vaccination campaign in late 2020, there have been more than 5 billion people fully vaccinated worldwide, accounting for a total of roughly 60% of the global population [20].…”