RESUMEN
Purpose: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine is the key to getting out of the pandemic. However, acceptance of the vaccine has been affected by false information and rumors, which have kept people from getting the shot since it was rolled out. Materials and Methods: This study aimed to investigate the various misconceptions surfaced about the COVID-19 vaccines in Africa. We performed an online survey using an anonymous questionnaire to reach out to African respondents by social media and all possible online platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and so forth. The web-based questionnaires about the myths surrounding the vaccines were extracted from nonscientific information, unproven statements, social media posts, news reports, and people's concerns about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines. Participants indicated their level of agreement with each statement. Results: A total of 2,500 people responded to the online survey in Africa. The two common myths that respondents agreed with were that "since vaccines for COVID-19 have been developed, we can make vaccines for the common cold, human immunodeficiency viruses, and other diseases" (n=892, 35.7%) and that "researchers rushed the development of the COVID-19 vaccines; therefore, it is not very effective, safe and cannot be trusted" (n=595, 23.8%). The range of respondents who neither agreed nor disagreed with these myths was 12.4%-33.0%. The majority (1,931, 77.2%) indicated disagreement with the statement "after getting the COVID-19 vaccine, one can stop wearing a mask as well as taking safety precautions." Conclusion: Myths surrounding the COVID-19 vaccines have impact on acceptance. Exploring them helps public health authorities in Africa dispel them and provide accurate information to promote vaccination campaigns, education, and acceptance.
RESUMEN
Purpose@#Safe and effective vaccine together with better treatment remains one of the strategic exist of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. As in many other countries worldwide, the government of Ghana has expressed its commitment to procuring globally approved and accepted vaccines. This preliminary study aims to analyses these factors that could impact the choice of the vaccine in Ghana. @*Materials and Methods@#This cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1,000 Ghanaian respondents from the 14th October to the 12th of December 2020. A structured questionnaire after a series of literature review and was transcribed unto google forms. Dataset was extracted using Excel ver. 2016 (Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA, USA) and imported into IBM SPSS ver. 22.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) for analysis. Descriptive statistics, cross-tabulations and logistic regression analyses were conducted at p-value <0.05. @*Results@#The results showed that 541 (54.1%) of the respondents would opt for the vaccines, 907 (90.7%) trusted the healthcare system and 388 (38.8%) had a high-risk perception of acquiring COVID-19. Our inferential analysis found that being married (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.29; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10–4.78), salary worker (private: aOR, 2.24; 95% CI, 0.85–5.89; government: aOR, 42.58; 95% CI, 14.09–128.61), and high-risk perception (aOR, 5.35; 95% CI, 3.24–8.82) had a higher OR of accepting COVID-19 vaccine. @*Conclusion@#As the government of Ghana prepares to secure COVID-19 vaccines, it is important to understand the state of mind and determinants of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in the general population. Policymakers and stakeholders should focus on evidence-based community messaging to improve uptake and break the transmission dynamics.
