MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
J Glob Health. 2022 May 14;12:05013. doi: 10.7189/jogh.12.05013.
To date, COVID-19 vaccine coverage in the African region falls far too short of global goals. Increasing vaccination rates requires understanding barriers to vaccination so that effective interventions that sensitively and effectively address barriers to vaccination can be implemented.
To assess COVID-19 vaccination levels and identify major barriers to vaccine uptake we conducted a population-based, cross-sectional survey among 1662 adults 18 and older from August 25 to October 29 2021 in the Agincourt Health and Socio-Demographic Surveillance System (AHDSS) area, Mpumalanga, South Africa.
Half of participants reported receiving a COVID-19 vaccine (50.4%) with 41.1% being fully vaccinated and 9.3% being partially vaccinated; 49.6% were unvaccinated. More women than men were vaccinated (55.5% vs 42.8%, P < 0.001), and older age groups were more likely to be vaccinated than younger age groups (P < 0.001). Among the unvaccinated, 69.0% planned to get vaccinated as soon as possible, while 14.7% reported definitely not wanting the vaccine. Major barriers to vaccination included lacking information on eligibility (12.3%) or where to get vaccinated (13.0%), concerns about side effects (12.5%), and inconvenient hours and locations for vaccination (11.0%). Confidence in the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines was higher among those vaccinated than unvaccinated (75.3% vs 51.2%, 75.8% vs 51.0%, both P < 0.001, respectively).
Increasing vaccination in South Africa beyond current levels will require a concerted effort to address concerns around vaccine safety and increase confidence in vaccine efficacy. Clarifying eligibility and ensuring access to vaccines at times and places that are convenient to younger populations, men, and other vulnerable groups is necessary.
迄今为止，非洲地区的 COVID-19 疫苗接种率远远低于全球目标。提高疫苗接种率需要了解接种障碍，以便实施能够敏感有效地解决接种障碍的有效干预措施。
为了评估 COVID-19 疫苗接种水平并确定疫苗接种的主要障碍，我们于 2021 年 8 月 25 日至 10 月 29 日在南非姆普马兰加省的阿格因库尔健康和社会人口监测系统（AHDSS）地区对 1662 名 18 岁及以上的成年人进行了一项基于人群的横断面调查。
一半的参与者报告接种了 COVID-19 疫苗（50.4%），其中 41.1%完全接种，9.3%部分接种；49.6%未接种。接种疫苗的女性多于男性（55.5%比 42.8%，P<0.001），年龄较大的人群比年龄较小的人群更有可能接种疫苗（P<0.001）。在未接种疫苗的人群中，69.0%计划尽快接种疫苗，而 14.7%表示肯定不想接种疫苗。接种疫苗的主要障碍包括缺乏有关资格（12.3%）或接种地点（13.0%）的信息、对副作用的担忧（12.5%）以及接种疫苗的时间和地点不方便（11.0%）。对 COVID-19 疫苗的安全性和有效性的信心在接种疫苗的人群中高于未接种疫苗的人群（75.3%比 51.2%，75.8%比 51.0%，均 P<0.001）。
要想在南非提高疫苗接种率，使其超过目前的水平，就需要齐心协力解决疫苗安全性问题，并增强人们对疫苗有效性的信心。有必要明确资格条件，并确保在年轻人、男性和其他弱势群体方便的时间和地点提供疫苗。
