Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccination at Different Hypothetical Efficacy and Safety Levels in Nigeria: A Cross-Sectional Web-based Survey

Abstract

Introduction:Vaccine hesitancy is a global phenomenon and vaccination efforts against the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may be hampered by it. This study assessed the acceptance rate of COVID-19 vaccination at different hypothetical efficacy and safety levels in Nigeria. Methods: This web-based study was conducted among a selected Nigerian population between the month of February and May 2021 using an online self-administered structured questionnaire hosted by Survey Monkey. WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook were used to disseminate the invitation to take the poll. Results: The finding of this study revealed that a larger proportion of the participants were males (53.9%), within the age group of 31-40 years (25.6%) and earn an average income of less than $500 per month. Individuals between the ages of 21 and 30 years and 31 to 40 years showed the highest levels of acceptability for the COVID-19 vaccine at 95% efficacy and 5% adverse effects. The older age group (>51 years and above) had the least vaccine acceptance rate (3.3%) at 75% vaccine efficacy and 20% side effect. Respondents who held the belief that vaccinations are essential for their health had a higher chance to accept the COVID-19 vaccine with OR: 0.76; 50%CI (0.00-0.00), OR: 95%CI (0.000-0.000), OR: 1.23; ) and OR: 0.696; 95%CI (0.048-10.047) based on religion, the occurrence of diabetes, pulmonary disease, and Hypertension, respectively. Conclusion: The results of this research indicate that vaccine acceptance rates are negatively correlated with participants' ages.