Public beliefs and willingness to accept COVID-19 vaccines among adults in South-Western Nigeria: A cross-sectional study

Background: Despite the government's and development partners' unmatched efforts to ensure that every eligible person receives vaccinations, there have been concerns about vaccine fear, government mistrust, vaccine hesitancy and rejection expressed by the public, as well as various conspiracy theories involving the COVID-19 vaccines. This study assessed the public beliefs and willingness to accept COVID-19 vaccines and related factors among residents of Ondo State, Nigeria. Methods: Using a convenience sample technique, a cross-sectional survey of the adult population was carried out in the months of February and March of 2022. Factors influencing beliefs and willingness to accept COVID-19 vaccines were found by using univariate and multivariate statistical analysis. Results: 306 out of 323 respondents completed the survey and were included in the final analysis. The respondents mean age was 28.16 ± 16.2 years. Although n = 223, 72.9% of respondents reported to have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccines, (n = 205) 67.0% believed COVID-19 vaccines to be effective. Among the individuals who had not yet had any COVID-19 vaccinations, 2.6% (n = 8) of respondents were willing to accept the vaccines, whereas 14.1% (n = 43) were unwilling. Respondents' beliefs about the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines were influenced by their gender, occupation, religion and educational attainment (p < 0.005). Conclusion: The study revealed a good level of positive beliefs about the vaccine, which was mirrored in vaccination history. However, those who had not yet received the vaccine were unwilling to do so, opening the door for more aggressive risk communication to be able to alter the course of events. In addition to addressing additional COVID-19 vaccination myths, we advise policy-makers to develop communication strategies that emphasise the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine. It is advised that all relevant stakeholders be included in government COVID-19 vaccination programmes by sharing timely, transparent information that fosters accountability

Health Workers’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices on Reporting Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) in Nigeria: A Cross-sectional Study

Background: Reporting of adverse events following immunization (AEFI) is not the sole responsibility of health workers providing routine immunization services, but also of health workers providing clinical treatments and working in other health units. This study aimed to assess health workers’ level of knowledge as well as reporting attitudes and practices on AEFI in Ondo State, Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional survey using a convenience sampling method was used to recruit Primary Health Care workers in four Local Government Areas (LGAs). A self-reported questionnaire was adapted from a previous study and used to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices on AEFI. Results: A total of 178 participants were recruited for this study. However, 158 respondents provided complete data and were included in the final statistical analysis. Overall, 64.6% (n ¼ 102) respondents had good knowledge, 96.2% (n ¼ 152) had positive attitudes, and 57.0% (n ¼ 90) had good practices on AEFI. Respondents’ age group, direct involvement in routine immunization, and duration of practice were significantly associated with knowledge (p < 0.005). There was a significant relationship between knowledge, gender, and AEFI practices (p < 0.005). Conclusions: Although respondents in this study had good knowledge, positive attitudes, and good practices towards AEFI surveillance and reporting, this study also revealed some critical gaps in the categorization of serious AEFIs and in the timeliness of reporting of AEFI cases. Frequent training of health workers, supportive supervision, and on-the-job mentoring of health workers are recommended to ultimately improve the AEFI surveillance system. © 2023 College of Public Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University. This is an open access article under the CC BY license