ABSTRACT
Introduction: coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a deadly viral infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Control of COVID-19 through vaccination requires more than just vaccine efficacy and safety. Instead, the vaccine must be widely accepted by the population. The aim of this study was to determine the coverage of COVID-19 vaccine uptake and its determinants among the general population in South Gondar Zone, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods: a communitybased cross-sectional study was conducted among 605 randomly selected eligible participants in South Gondar Zone from March 1 to 30, 2022. Descriptive summary statistics were done. Bivariable and multivariable binary logistic regression analyses were done. Variables with p-value of <0.05 were declared statistically significant. Results: of all participants, about 18.7% of them were vaccinated with any of the COVID-19 vaccines at least one dose. Age from 18 to 35 years (AOR=4.9, 95% CI: 1.7212.84), attended college and above (AOR= 6.3, 95% CI: 1.37, 28.68), positive attitude towards COVID-19 vaccine (AOR= 8.01, 95% CI: 4.23-15.03), history of COVID-19 (AOR= 3.01, 95% CI;1.29-6.98), history of contact (AOR = 2.6, 95% CI = 1.33-4.92), ever tested for COVID-19 (AOR = 0.313, 95% CI: 0.130-0.756) were determinant factors for COVID-19 vaccine uptake. Conclusion: COVID-19 vaccine uptake among adults aged above 12 years was very low. The main reasons for not being vaccinated were doubts about vaccine efficacy, fear of adverse effects, and lack of vaccine access. Therefore, different stakeholders should provide continued awareness creation on COVID-19 vaccine safety, importance, and efficacy. © Nega Dagnew Baye et al.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: with COVID-19 vaccines being developed concurrently, it is clear that inadequate knowledge and poor attitudes among communities around the world provide a significant obstacle and continue to prevent the complete population from being immunized against highly contagious illnesses. The study's objective was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and barriers that healthcare professionals have towards the COVID-19 vaccine. Methods: a descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted through a self-administered questionnaire that was disseminated to health care professionals working in the South Gondar zone hospitals, in South Gondar Zone, Ethiopia. SPSS Statistics Version 25 was used to enter and evaluate the data that were gathered. To ascertain the relationship between independent and outcome variables, binary logistic analysis was performed. Results: a total of 450 respondents participated in the survey, and 90% of them completed and returned. The majority of the participants (94.44%) were aware of the COVID-19 vaccination. More than half of them (56.22%) had experience with COVID-19 treatment, and 54.7% had sufficient knowledge about COVID-19 immunization. The importance of the vaccine in maintaining population COVID-19 immunization coverage and in reducing COVID-19 incidence to prevent the onset of new epidemics, respectively, was positively viewed by more than two-thirds (74.43%) and 84.4% of the respondents, respectively. Furthermore, only 6.6% of respondents approved of pharmaceutical companies' advertising of the COVID-19 vaccine. Conclusion: according to the current study, healthcare professionals had a promising view of COVID-19 immunization. However, the overall percentage of positive responses to the attitude questions was only 48.34%. Additionally, more than 76.67% of the respondents reported that if the community does not receive the COVID-19 vaccination, the incidence of the virus will greatly grow. However, only about half of the respondents had adequate knowledge about the COVID-19 vaccination. © Teklie Mengie Ayele et al.