COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy in India: State of the nation and priorities for research.
Brain Behav Immun Health
; 18: 100375, 2021 Dec.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1471890
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Few COVID-19 vaccines were anticipated in India in early 2021. However, little was known about COVID-19 vaccination acceptance among the public. We conducted a nationwide study to understand the public's perception about COVID-19 vaccines in December 2020.METHOD:
An online survey was deployed using a multi-item validated questionnaire via social media websites and networking platforms for adults in India. We asked participants about vaccination willingness, concerns about vaccination, and their sociodemographic characteristics.RESULTS:
Nationwide, 1638 participants from 27 states/union territories took the survey where the majority of the participant were males (55%), 18-30 years old (52%), urban dwellers (69%), college-educated (81%), without a history of COVID-19 infection (92%). More than a fifth were either unaware of the vaccines (20.63%) or were not sure if they will get the vaccine (27%), and 10% refused to obtain the vaccine. Almost 70% of the population had concerns regarding the vaccines. Statistically significant differences (p<0.01) in awareness about vaccine and acceptability were observed based on age, educational qualifications, and employment status.CONCLUSION:
While the majority of Indians would accept the vaccine, given the large population of India, even a small proportion of hesitant individuals would translate to millions of unvaccinated individuals. Strategic measures and policy decisions to enhance the rate of COVID-19 vaccination should be continuously planned and implemented in India.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Topics:
Vaccines
Language:
English
Journal:
Brain Behav Immun Health
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
J.bbih.2021.100375
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