COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance and Hesitancy in Ghana: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The propensity to accept vaccines and factors that affect vaccine acceptance and hesitancy will determine the overall success of the COVID-19 vaccination program. Therefore, it is essential for countries to understand the factors that influence vaccine acceptance and hesitancy in order to prevent further future shocks, and it is necessary to have a thorough understanding of these factors. This study, as a result, aims to review selected published works in the domain of study and conduct valuable analysis to determine the most influential factors in COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and hesitancy in Ghana. The review also explored the acceptance rate of COVID-19 vaccines in Ghana. We selected published works from 2021 to April 2023 and extracted, analyzed, and summarized the findings based on the key factors that influence COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and hesitancy in Ghana, the acceptance rate in Ghana, the demographic factors that are often examined, and the study approach used to examine these factors. The study found that positive vaccination perception, safety, belief in vaccine efficacy, knowledge of COVID-19, and a good vaccine attitude influence COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in Ghana. The negative side effects of the vaccines, mistrust in the vaccine, lack of confidence in the safety of the vaccines, fear, and spiritual and religious beliefs all played significant roles in the factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. The demographic parameters frequently included in these studies that have a significant impact include educational attainment, gender, religious affiliation, age, and marital status.