Determinants of Uptake of COVID 19 Vaccine Among Health Workers in Tertiary Institutions in Anambra State

Abstract

BACKGROUND

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led to the development of various vaccine candidates at a speed never seen before in global health as such that Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine was approved by the United States FDA within nine months. While these advances were ongoing, there was an alarming rate of disinformation about the virus and the vaccines being circulated around which affected people’s view and eagerness to get vaccinated, this was seen more in minority groups. In Nigeria, the wave of vaccination hesitancy was happening against the backdrop of landmark pharmaceutical litigations such as the 2007 Pfizer trovafloxacin lawsuit in the country.

AIM: Assessing the determining factors of the COVID-19 vaccine's acceptability among Nigerians.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Employing the use of an adapted pretested questionnaire designed by Amyn Malik and colleagues, a cross-sectional study based on population was conducted from 10^th November 2021 to 20^th November 2021 adapting a similar study carried out at the Yale University School of Public Health by Amyn Malik and co. The participants were selected through random selection from corporate and community sites obtained from Google Maps in the three regional zones of Nigeria (two Tertiary Institution in Anambra State). The Information obtained includes; medical history related to COVID-19 and attitudes toward COVID-19 and the vaccines, socio-demographics, level of knowledge and risk perception. Descriptive and inferential statistics were carried out, and the results were summarized into associations and percentages. The level of statistical significance was set at a p-value of <0.05. Using the open EpiR package (Emory), a minimum of 720 participants for 80% statistical power was determined.

RESULT: From two Tertiary Institution in Anambra State, a total of 716 responses were obtained of which 378 (53%) were females. The percentage (66.2%) of the participants who would take the approved vaccination was higher. The mean COVID-19 symptom knowledge score of the participants was 8.6 (±4.1 SD) out of 19 while the participants score for the mean risk perception score for COVID-19 was 5.1 (±2.2 SD) out of 10. Variables such as being male, identifying as Christian, Igbo ethnicity, and living in Urban Town of Anambra, Nigeria had a statistically significant relationship with the willingness to get vaccinated.

Keywords: COVID 19 VACCINE, HEALTH WORKERS, TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS

DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/102-06

Publication date:October 31^st 2022