COVID-19 vaccine: Experts insist target interventions central to stopping hesitancy

EXPERTS, in a study, say targeted interventions are required for the desired COVID-19 vaccine uptake rate and herd immunity given the high vaccine hesitancy among adults in Nigeria.

In the study, the researchers evaluated the prevalence of vaccine hesitancy among health care workers, university students and general adult population in the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria and found this to be high and diverse among the nation’s socio-demographic spectra.

According to the study, COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was higher among the Igbo ethnic group, Christian faith, residence in North-East and North-West geopolitical zones and those with an aversion to foreign-made vaccines.

The 2022 study, titled “COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in six geopolitical zones in Nigeria: a cross sectional survey” is in the Pan African Medical Journal.

Among 1,615 respondents, more than half were health care workers, 97.4% had at least secondary level of education, and majority 60.5% belonged to the upper social class. The prevalence of vaccine hesitancy was 68.5% and 67.2% preferred foreign manufactured COVID-19 vaccines.

On multivariable regression analysis, residence in North-East and North-West geopolitical zones, the Igbo ethnic group, Christians, nurses, pharmacist and participants without confidence in foreign vaccines were at higher likelihood of vaccine hesitancy. Only age and marital status were not statistically significantly associated with vaccine hesitancy.

The study said that the higher odds of vaccine hesitancy in the North, especially in the North-East and North-West geopolitical zones, may be due to their traditional homogeneity and previously experienced hesitancy to immunisation programmes, most notably the polio eradication campaign.

They declared: “Not surprising, in this study, respondents who had no confidence in foreign manufactured vaccines were four times more likely to have vaccine hesitancy, compared to their counterparts with confidence in these vaccines.

“Therefore, interventions to build public trust in the COVID-19 vaccine have been recommended to overcome some of these barriers to improving uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine. These interventions must attend to peculiarities in each locale and approached with utmost sincerity.

“It appears that varying context will continue to determine attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccine and associated vaccine hesitancy. This call for an on-going revision and studies on the subject matter as the response to the COVID-19 is sustained in the face of different waves and mutants COVID-19 strains experienced thus far.”

Uptake of COVID-19 vaccine has been relatively low in most low- and middle-income countries compared to the developed countries. Vaccine hesitancy has been identified as obstacles to vaccine uptake with other vaccine preventable diseases in Nigeria. Still, the magnitude of COIVD-19 vaccine hesitancy and the factors at play in Nigeria remains unclear.