Willingness of Middle Eastern public to receive COVID-19 vaccines

Abstract

Background COVID-19 is a pacing pandemic that affected health systems, economy, and social life in the whole world. Currently, there is no treatment for it, but the world is in a race that yielded, in a relatively short time than usual, several approved, promising vaccines in the middle of a storm of debates because of the speed of their production and approval. Objective This study assessed the willingness of Middle Eastern Arab publics to receive COVID-19 vaccines and investigated the factors behind any reluctance to receive them. Methods A self-administered questionnaire was distributed through social media applications in four Arab countries (Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Iraq). Participants’ demographics, medical history, their experience with COVID-19, and their willingness to receive the available vaccines were obtained and analyzed. Results A total of 2,925 completed forms were included. Only 25% of the participants were willing to receive a vaccine while 33% were hesitant. Iraqis were the most willing to receive it while Jordanians were the least (35% and 17% of each country, respectively). Interestingly, 60% of the acceptors were ready to pay for the vaccine if not covered by governments. It was also found that American vaccines were preffered by 50% of the acceptors. However, 30% of acceptors were unsure of which vaccine is the best and 11% stated that any vaccine is good. Social media were the major source of information about COVID-19 and its vaccines. Finally, predictors of acceptance of the vaccines included living in Saudi Arabia and Iraq, being unmarried, having monthly income > $1,000, holding a medical degree, having high fear from COVID-19, feeling of being at risk of getting infected with COVID-19, and previous reception of influenza vaccine, whereas predictors of refusal included female sex and previous infection with COVID-19. Conclusion Middle Eastern Arabs are less likely to accept receiving the COVID-19 vaccines compared with non-Arabs. Health authorities in these countries are advised to intensify their awareness-raising activities about the vaccines while ensuring fair distribution of them.

Evaluation of COVID-19 Vaccine Attitudes among Arab American Healthcare Professionals Living in the United States

“…From our survey, we found that participants who did not receive an influenza vaccine in the last 5 years were significantly more likely to be vaccine hesitant after adjusting for other potential factors. Our findings agree with other studies in which individuals who previously received an influenza vaccine were more likely to also receive the COVID-19 vaccine [ 13 ]. Among healthcare workers, prior influenza vaccine behaviors were an independent predictor for COVID-19 vaccine intentions [ 25 ].…”

“…Interestingly, being an allied health professional, which included administrative staff and medical assistants, was strongly and significantly associated with vaccine hesitancy. The observation that physicians are more vaccine acceptant compared to nurses and allied health professionals has been noted in a number of other studies [8,14,23,26,29], including one in the Middle East [13]. The reasons for this attitude in this group of professionals are currently unknown, leaving room for further research.…”

“…A recent study surveyed multiple populations from different Arab countries and noted that only 29.4% of respondents to a survey stated that they would be vaccinated [ 11 ], compared to approximately 68% of respondents in the US [ 12 ]. Another study showed that the rate of acceptance to the COVID-19 vaccine varies across Middle Eastern countries, from 35% in people from Iraq to 17% in individuals from Jordan [ 13 ]. While a number of societal factors may play a role in vaccine hesitancy in Arab counties, distrust for government and healthcare policies are commonly reported reasons [ 13 , 14 ].…”

“…Another study showed that the rate of acceptance to the COVID-19 vaccine varies across Middle Eastern countries, from 35% in people from Iraq to 17% in individuals from Jordan [ 13 ]. While a number of societal factors may play a role in vaccine hesitancy in Arab counties, distrust for government and healthcare policies are commonly reported reasons [ 13 , 14 ].…”

“…According to one survey, 36.4% of Arabs reported that their major source of information regarding the COVID-19 vaccines was obtained from medical doctors, scientists, and scientific journals [ 11 ]. Another study noted that 53.1% of respondents sourced information about the COVID-19 vaccines from medical websites, while 32.7% accessed information about the vaccine from social media [ 13 ]. Amongst healthcare providers from the Arab world, one survey noted the vaccine acceptance rate was as low as 26.7%, and acceptance varied between countries [ 10 ].…”