Sulub Saed A, Mohamed Mubarak A
School of Graduate Studies, University of Hargeisa, Hargeisa 25263, Somaliland.
School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Gollis University, Hargeisa 25263, Somaliland.
Vaccines (Basel). 2022 Jul 4;10(7):1076. doi: 10.3390/vaccines10071076.
Various COVID-19 vaccines have been developed in an unprecedented time and were rolled out across the world to save lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet statistics show that COVID-19 uptake and acceptance in the Horn of Africa have been very low. To examine factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine uptake and acceptance in Somaliland, we carried out a cross-sectional study using a structured questionnaire both in offline and online modes. The study population was adults from the age of 18 years and above. Of the 704 respondents who participated in the survey, only 37% took the vaccine. Surprisingly, about 65% of those who have not taken the vaccine were unwilling to get vaccinated. Using a binomial logistic regression, we find that older people, the more educated and those who are employed are more likely to take the vaccine. Our results also show that the perceived threat of the virus and the perceived safety of the vaccine significantly increase vaccine uptake and acceptance. Results of this study will help the government and other concerned parties shape policies that can boost vaccine uptake and acceptance.
在前所未有的短时间内研发出了多种新冠疫苗，并在全球范围内推广以在新冠疫情期间拯救生命。然而统计数据显示，非洲之角地区的新冠疫苗接种率和接受度一直很低。为了研究索马里兰与新冠疫苗接种率和接受度相关的因素，我们采用结构化问卷以线下和线上两种方式开展了一项横断面研究。研究对象为18岁及以上的成年人。在参与调查的704名受访者中，只有37%接种了疫苗。令人惊讶的是，约65%未接种疫苗的人不愿意接种。通过二项逻辑回归分析，我们发现年龄较大、受教育程度较高以及有工作的人更有可能接种疫苗。我们的研究结果还表明，对病毒的感知威胁和对疫苗的感知安全性显著提高了疫苗接种率和接受度。本研究结果将有助于政府和其他相关方制定能够提高疫苗接种率和接受度的政策。
