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ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA, DECEMBER 17, 2020. A survey conducted by the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), in partnership with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) showed that a predominant majority (79% on average) of respondents in Africa would take a COVID-19 vaccine if it was found to be safe and effective.
Carried out between August and December 2020, the survey interviewed more than 15,000 adults, aged 18 and over, in 15 African countries: Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia and Uganda.
The survey data shows significant variations in willingness between countries and between the five regions of the continent, from 94% and 93%, respectively, in Ethiopia and Niger to 65% and 59%, respectively, in Senegal and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an overall decline in vaccine acceptability and uptake due to doubts about the efficacy and safety and the spread of vaccine misinformation. The pandemic has further exacerbated controversies around vaccines as a preventive measure against infectious diseases.
The study was therefore conducted to investigate public knowledge and perceptions of the COVID-19 pandemic and the COVID-19 vaccine, thereby identifying gaps in knowledge, cultural beliefs and attitudes to inform early intervention. -deployment of vaccines across the continent.
Overall, whether or not willingness to take a COVID-19 vaccine depended primarily on confidence in the vaccine as well as perceptions of its importance, safety and effectiveness. Safety was of the highest consideration; on average, 18% of respondents think vaccines are generally not safe and 25% think a COVID-19 vaccine would not be safe. Some of the respondents expressed distrust of vaccines in general, while others expressed distrust of a specific COVID-19 vaccine.
Older respondents, those who know someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 and those who live in rural areas are more likely to take a COVID-19 vaccine than younger people, those who have not seen COVID-19 affects anyone, and those who live in urban areas.
The rejection of a COVID-19 vaccine appears to be linked to misinformation and misinformation, as most of those who said they would not take a vaccine believe the disease is man-made, does not exist or is overdone and does not pose a serious problem. threat. Others think they are not at risk of getting infected with the virus, while others believe that natural remedies and alternative medicine are safer than vaccines.
People who have had a positive COVID-19 test and now believe they don’t need a vaccine because they think they are immune to the disease and can no longer be infected.
Respondents generally cited the World Health Organization (WHO), healthcare professionals, governments, pharmaceutical companies, Gavi and Africa CDC as trusted sources of approval for the safety and efficacy of a drug. COVID-19 vaccine.
These findings underscore the critical need for strategic engagement at the community level to address long-term vaccine frustration and reluctance to take a COVID-19 vaccine among certain segments of the population. It emphasizes the need for constructive education and awareness to provide essential information that will enable individuals to make an informed decision to accept a COVID-19 vaccine.
“Engaging with communities and responding to their concerns and information needs about the COVID-19 vaccine will be key to building confidence not only around the COVID-19 vaccine, but also for vaccines in general,” says Professor Heidi Larson, study co-lead and director of the Vaccine Confidence Project at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
“This survey is a revelation that provides essential scientific evidence to guide interventions by African CDCs, Member States and partners to optimize the uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine across the continent,” says Dr. John Nkengasong , director of the Africa CDC.
About Africa CDC
Africa CDC is a specialized technical institution of the African Union that strengthens the capacity and capacity of African public health institutions as well as partnerships to detect and respond quickly and effectively to disease threats and epidemics, based on interventions and data-driven programs. For more information: http://www.africacdc.org.
About the Vaccine Confidence Project
The Vaccine Confidence Project (VCP) founded in 2010 by Professor Heidi Larson was developed in response to reluctance and misinformation about immunization programs such as those that prompted a boycott of polio eradication efforts in northern Nigeria in 2003-2004. It is an early warning system to identify and assess public confidence in vaccines, with the aim of tackling the problem quickly, when it is likely to be manageable. The Vaccine Confidence project team is an interdisciplinary and international group of researchers with expertise in anthropology, numerical analysis, epidemiology, politics, psychology and more. Vaccine confidence is not a one-dimensional problem, and therefore the VCP ™ crosses disciplines to produce innovative research and policy recommendations. For more information, click on www.vaccineconfidence.org
Methodological Notes to Editors
The survey was conducted by ORB International during the months of August to December 2020. In each country, a nationally representative sample of adults aged 18 and over was interviewed. In four of the countries (Kenya, Tunisia, Morocco and Ethiopia), interviews were administered by computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI), while in the remaining 11 countries, interviews were conducted by personal computer-assisted interview (CAPI). ). The statistical margin of error for each country at the 95% confidence level is + 3.1%. ORB International is a member of the World Association for Public Opinion Research (WAPOR) and abides by its code of conduct.
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