ABSTRACT
Background: Since its onset about a year ago, COVID-19 pandemic has led to the deaths of over two million, a global economic recession and has threatened the fragile healthcare systems. Vaccination promises to rapidly bring the pandemic under control, return normalcy to the world and pave the way of economic recovery.Methods: This was a cross-sectional, country-wide, self-administered anonymous online survey, carried out on the WhatsApp platform and among the Nigerian Medical Doctors. The study was conducted between 13th to 31st January, 2021 using the health belief model (HBM) as a hypothetical framework for understanding the acceptance of the prospective COVID-19 vaccination.Findings: A total of 830 Medical Doctors from 34 states of the Nigerian federation capital responded to the online survey. Of these, 38.8% were willing to take the vaccine, 36.0% were unsure, while the remaining 26.5% would not. The positive predictors for vaccine acceptance were age, male gender, perceived contagiousness of the virus, and perceived threat to life. The believe that ivermectin is an excellent alternative to the vaccine was the only negative predictor. Safety concerns were the major deterrents to accepting the COVID-19 vaccines. Hypothetically addressing the fears on vaccine safety will result in additional 287 (34.6%) Doctors who will be willing to take the COVID-19 vaccine by (p<0.0001). Interpretation: The acceptance of the prospective COVID-19 vaccine among the Nigerian Medical Doctors is low (38.8%). As the primary advocates for vaccination, the country needs to encourage the acceptance of the vaccine among its medical doctors.Funding; This study was solely funded by the authorDeclaration of Interest: None to declare. Ethical Approval: The guidelines on research involving human subjects, according to Helsinki declaration were followed. Online consent was obtained from participants. Participants were allowed to leave the survey at any time they desired. Confidentiality of information was assured, and the survey was anonymous.