ABSTRACT
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been accompanied by numerous factors which have adversely affected Small Island Develop-ing States (SIDS). Despite several COVID-19 vaccination campaigns and the number of in-dividuals who have been afflicted by, or died from, contracting the virus, many Jamaicans have delayed their vaccination against CO-VID-19. This study investigates the factors that have shaped the attitudes of Jamaicans towards COVID-19 vaccines. Its findings are based on content analysis of Jamaican newspapers (N=200), including columns, editorials, and news stories published in the online editions of two of the country's lead-ing publications (The Jamaica Gleaner and the Jamaica Observer). The study finds that several factors shape the attitudes of Jamaicans towards COVID-19 vaccines. These include the potential side effects of COVID-19 vac-cines, personal choice, perception of the pan-demic, insufficient knowledge regarding the efficacy of the vaccines, religious beliefs, and distrust of the Jamaican government and health authorities. The study highlights that for SIDS, like Jamaica, which are characterised by fragile economies and ailing public health care systems, vaccine hesitancy is a potential barrier to overcoming some of the challenges linked to the current pandemic.The study points to the critical need to improve the COVID-19 vaccination uptake among Jamaicans. Understanding the speci-ficities concerning vaccine hesitancy will al-low the Jamaican government and healthcare providers to better organise public sensitisation campaigns to address the concerns of the un-vaccinated in Jamaica.