Willingness to Get a COVID-19 Vaccine and Its Potential Predictors in Costa Rica: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Since 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on morbidity and mortality around the world. As one of the most successful and cost-effective health interventions for preventing infectious diseases, immunization against SARS-CoV-2, is at the moment the most effective strategy for controlling the current pandemic. Despite the high vaccine acceptance rates that countries such as Costa Rica have shown in the past, the public acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine is still uncertain. The purpose of this study was to examine adults' willingness to get a novel COVID-19 vaccine and its potential predictors in Costa Rica. We conducted a cross-sectional study comprising a sample of 4717 adult participants living in Costa Rica who participated in a voluntary electronic survey regarding their intent to get a future COVID-19 vaccine. Results suggest that a high percentage (86.1%) of Costa Ricans aged 18 or more would be willing to be vaccinated once a safe and effective vaccine is approved and distributed in the country. Some relevant significant predictors of willingness to get a COVID-19 vaccine in Costa Rica were higher income, being male, work in the health care sector, and having a relative or a close acquaintance diagnosed with COVID-19. Our findings suggest that it is essential to concentrate efforts on the immediate development of culturally appropriate communication, dissemination, and implementation strategies to maximize immunization against SARS-CoV-2 in Costa Rica.

Understanding the role of personal experiences and contextual variables in shaping risk reduction preferences

“…Although some evidence shows that past events may have eroded trust in the vaccines [8] , the respondents in this study present a high commitment to vaccination campaigns. Our samples present a willingness to be vaccinated similar to the acceptance rate in CH (90.6 %) and CR (86.1 %) found by García and Cerda [20] and Guzmán et al [22] , respectively. However, our acceptance rate is higher than the one found by Solís Arce et al [55] in CO (75 %).…”

Willingness to Embrace COVID-19 Vaccination Amongst Residents in a Low-Income Nation: Insights From a Cross-Sectional Study on a Limited Cohort

“…Being female was significantly and positively associated with WTR (AOR = 3.45), which is supported by a single study conducted in Ethiopia. 14 Oppositely, findings of studies done in Addis Ababa, 34 Costa Rica, 35 Saudi Arabia, 33 US, 3 Turkey, 19 Survey across countries, 36 and a scoping review 30 indicated males were more likely to show their WTR vaccines if it is available to them. Although it is challenging to scientifically explain this variation, one possible explanation is that women in Ethiopia are more connected to their children and family.…”

The connection between COVID-19 vaccine abundance, vaccination coverage, and public trust in government across the globe

“…Costa Rica and Colombia, can perhaps be explained by the strength of their vaccination campaigns and receiving vaccine supplies earlier than many other countries [18,19]. Moreover, primary evidence suggests that the potential for the acceptance of Covid-19 vaccines in these countries was particularly high and probably had roots in their longstanding belief in immunization programmes [20,21] that could go beyond the public's confidence in present government. An imbedded belief in immunization programmes has also been reported as a contributor in the success of vaccination campaign in Portugal [22] and its relative failure in the US [23,24].…”