COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in a Representative Education Sector Population in Qatar

Abstract

Even though vaccination programs have now started in earnest across the globe and in Qatar, vaccine hesitancy remains a barrier to effectively tackling the pandemic. Many factors influence willingness to take vaccines including safety, efficacy, and side effects. Given their proximity to research and education, university students and employees represent an interesting cohort in which to investigate vaccine hesitancy. The aim of this study was to assess the attitudes of Qatar University employees and students towards the COVID-19 vaccine. In total, 231 employees and 231 students participated in an online cross-sectional study in February 2021. Of the sample, 62.6% were willing to take a vaccine against COVID-19. Participants with or taking postgraduate degrees were more willing to take the vaccine compared to participants with or taking a diploma or bachelor’s degree (p < 0.001). Males had a higher rate of vaccine acceptance (p < 0.001). In the group that regarded flu vaccination as important, 13% were unwilling to take COVID-19 vaccine. There were no associations between willingness to vaccinate and vaccine/virus knowledge and social media use. Participants showed a high level of concern regarding vaccine side effects in themselves or their children. Two-thirds agreed or strongly agreed that they would take the vaccine if it was mandatory for international travel. Our participants were neutral to the origin of vaccine development. These findings, which represent data collected after the start of the national vaccination program, show that vaccine hesitancy persists in the Qatari population and that some groups, such as undergraduate students, could benefit from specific, targeted public health campaigns.

Prevalence and Drivers of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy among Czech University Students: National Cross-Sectional Study

“…Overall, 73.3% of the Czech universities' students participating in this study were willing to receive COVID-19 vaccines whenever possible (vaccine accepting group); on the other hand, 19.3% were unwilling to get vaccinated (vaccine-resistant group), and only 7.4% were hesitant about COVID-19 vaccination (vaccine-hesitant group). The current acceptance level of Czech students is higher than what was reported in Qatar (62.6%), France (58%), USA (50.6%), and Jordan (34.9%), and lower than what was reported initially in Italy (86.1%) [47][48][49][50][51].…”

“…Al-Mulla et al 2021 found that HCS (80.6%) in Qatar had significantly higher levels of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance ( χ 2 = 5.40, Sig. = 0.02) compared to non-HCS (61%) [ 47 ]. Similarly, Polish HCS (91.99%), French HCS (50.8%), and Jordanian HCS (43.5%) were more vaccine accepting than Polish non-HCS (59.42%), French non-HCS (32.3%) and Jordanian non-HCS (24%) [ 37 , 48 , 50 ].…”

Evidence Review: COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance by Key Influencers in the MENA Region - Teachers and Healthworkers

“…for similar vaccines to establish their efficacy and side effects. In Iran 39 and Qatar, 43 the intention to be vaccinated was higher among those with greater belief in the vaccines' efficacy.…”

“…However, some recent studies indicate that belief in the importance of other adult immunisations may be positively associated with COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. One study in Qatar 43 revealed that participants who believed it was important to take the annual influenza vaccination were more likely to get vaccinated against COVID-19. A situational analysis of Syria 18 suggested that routine immunisation might be a strong predictor of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance.…”

“…However, there was some evidence relating to vaccinating children against COVID-19. A study in Qatar 43 among the education sector population and one in Iran 17 among professors and researchers at medical sciences universities revealed that 46% and 44% of respondents would not vaccinate their children respectively, linking it to concerns regarding the safety of the vaccine. On the other hand, another national level cross-sectional survey in Iran 48 revealed that 74% of respondents would accept an approved vaccine for their children.…”