COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in a City with Free Choice and Sufficient Doses
Background: Vaccine hesitancy represents one of the major global health issues around the world. We examined the perception, attitude, perceived barriers and facilitation measures of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine in a Chinese population with free vaccine choices (Sinovac [Coronavac] vs. BioNTech/Fo...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-10-01
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| Series: | Vaccines |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/9/11/1250 |
| _version_ | 1797508337427808256 |
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| author | Martin C. S. Wong Eliza L. Y. Wong Annie W. L. Cheung Junjie Huang Christopher K. C. Lai Eng Kiong Yeoh Paul K. S. Chan |
| author_facet | Martin C. S. Wong Eliza L. Y. Wong Annie W. L. Cheung Junjie Huang Christopher K. C. Lai Eng Kiong Yeoh Paul K. S. Chan |
| author_sort | Martin C. S. Wong |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Vaccine hesitancy represents one of the major global health issues around the world. We examined the perception, attitude, perceived barriers and facilitation measures of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine in a Chinese population with free vaccine choices (Sinovac [Coronavac] vs. BioNTech/Fosun [Comirnaty]) and adequate doses. Method: We conducted a random telephone survey of the general population in 1195 subjects aged 18 years or above from 23 April 2021 to 8 May 2021 after two months of vaccine rollout. A descriptive analysis of the levels of enabling factors, obstacles and perception of COVID-19 vaccination was conducted using ANOVA and Chi-square tests for trend. Results: Only 10.1% and 13.5% had received one and two COVID-19 vaccine doses, respectively. Among those who had not received any COVID-19 vaccine (75.4%), only 25.1% expressed their intention to receive in the coming 6 months. The barriers with the highest scores included “having heard of cases with serious adverse events or death after vaccination” (score: 8.17 out 10, 95% C.I. 7.99, 8.35), “lack of confidence on governmental recommendations” (7.69, 95% C.I. 7.47, 7.91), and “waiting for a better vaccine” (7.29, 95% C.I. 7.07, 7.52). The highest score for the impact of various incentives for vaccination was for “vaccine passports for overseas travel” (4.44, 95% C.I. 4.18, 4.71). Conclusions: Vaccine hesitancy is commonly observed in this Chinese population despite adequate provision of vaccine doses and choices. No single incentive is strong enough to promote vaccination, and multiple facilitation measures for different groups of population are needed to encourage vaccine uptake. Active clarification and promotion by medical professionals together with a variety of incentives are needed to drive vaccine uptake. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:00:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ea5d7dbb70cb431aaa70fdd01ef5d307 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-393X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:00:41Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Vaccines |
| spelling | doaj.art-ea5d7dbb70cb431aaa70fdd01ef5d3072023-11-23T01:51:43ZengMDPI AGVaccines2076-393X2021-10-01911125010.3390/vaccines9111250COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in a City with Free Choice and Sufficient DosesMartin C. S. Wong0Eliza L. Y. Wong1Annie W. L. Cheung2Junjie Huang3Christopher K. C. Lai4Eng Kiong Yeoh5Paul K. S. Chan6JC School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong KongCentre for Health Systems & Policy Research, JC School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong KongCentre for Health Systems & Policy Research, JC School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong KongJC School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong KongDepartment of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong KongCentre for Health Systems & Policy Research, JC School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong KongDepartment of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong KongBackground: Vaccine hesitancy represents one of the major global health issues around the world. We examined the perception, attitude, perceived barriers and facilitation measures of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine in a Chinese population with free vaccine choices (Sinovac [Coronavac] vs. BioNTech/Fosun [Comirnaty]) and adequate doses. Method: We conducted a random telephone survey of the general population in 1195 subjects aged 18 years or above from 23 April 2021 to 8 May 2021 after two months of vaccine rollout. A descriptive analysis of the levels of enabling factors, obstacles and perception of COVID-19 vaccination was conducted using ANOVA and Chi-square tests for trend. Results: Only 10.1% and 13.5% had received one and two COVID-19 vaccine doses, respectively. Among those who had not received any COVID-19 vaccine (75.4%), only 25.1% expressed their intention to receive in the coming 6 months. The barriers with the highest scores included “having heard of cases with serious adverse events or death after vaccination” (score: 8.17 out 10, 95% C.I. 7.99, 8.35), “lack of confidence on governmental recommendations” (7.69, 95% C.I. 7.47, 7.91), and “waiting for a better vaccine” (7.29, 95% C.I. 7.07, 7.52). The highest score for the impact of various incentives for vaccination was for “vaccine passports for overseas travel” (4.44, 95% C.I. 4.18, 4.71). Conclusions: Vaccine hesitancy is commonly observed in this Chinese population despite adequate provision of vaccine doses and choices. No single incentive is strong enough to promote vaccination, and multiple facilitation measures for different groups of population are needed to encourage vaccine uptake. Active clarification and promotion by medical professionals together with a variety of incentives are needed to drive vaccine uptake.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/9/11/1250COVID-19vaccine hesitancyvaccine choicebarriersincentivescompulsory vaccination |
| spellingShingle | Martin C. S. Wong Eliza L. Y. Wong Annie W. L. Cheung Junjie Huang Christopher K. C. Lai Eng Kiong Yeoh Paul K. S. Chan COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in a City with Free Choice and Sufficient Doses Vaccines COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy vaccine choice barriers incentives compulsory vaccination |
| title | COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in a City with Free Choice and Sufficient Doses |
| title_full | COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in a City with Free Choice and Sufficient Doses |
| title_fullStr | COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in a City with Free Choice and Sufficient Doses |
| title_full_unstemmed | COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in a City with Free Choice and Sufficient Doses |
| title_short | COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in a City with Free Choice and Sufficient Doses |
| title_sort | covid 19 vaccine hesitancy in a city with free choice and sufficient doses |
| topic | COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy vaccine choice barriers incentives compulsory vaccination |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/9/11/1250 |
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