Original Research

A study on willingness to take the COVID-19 vaccine at a tertiary institution community in Johannesburg, South Africa

Bhadrashil H. Modi, Deidré Pretorius, Joel M. Francis
African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine | Vol 14, No 1 | a3252 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/phcfm.v14i1.3252 | © 2022 Bhadrashil H. Modi, Deidré Pretorius, Joel M. Francis | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 15 September 2021 | Published: 28 July 2022

About the author(s)

Bhadrashil H. Modi, Division of Family Medicine, Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care, School of Clinical Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; and, College of Medicine, Cape Town, South Africa; and, Private Practice Family Physician, Johannesburg, South Africa
Deidré Pretorius, Division of Family Medicine, Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care, School of Clinical Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
Joel M. Francis, Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care, School of Clinical Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

Abstract

Background: South Africa is aiming to achieve herd immunity against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by the first quarter of 2022. The success of the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out depends primarily on the willingness of the population to take the vaccines.

Aim: This study aimed to examine the willingness to take the COVID-19 vaccine, along with the factors of concern, efficacy and preferences of the individual, which may increase the willingness to be vaccinated.

Setting: This study was conducted at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, amongst adult students and academic and professional staff.

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey from 27 July 2021 to 14 August 2021 was conducted. We performed descriptive and inferential analysis to determine the factors associated with willingness to take the COVID-19 vaccine.

Results: A total of 2364 participants responded to a survey link and 82.0% were students, 66.8% were in the 18–29 years age band and females represented 64.0%. A total of 1965 participants (83.3%) were willing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, the most preferred vaccines were Pfizer (41%) and J&J (23%), local pharmacy (29%) and General Practitioner (GP) (17%) were the preferred places for vaccination and the trusted sources of information on COVID-19 vaccines were the general practitioners (40.6%) and specialists (19.2%). Perceptions that vaccines are safe (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 31.56, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 16.02–62.12 for affirmative agreement) and effective (aOR = 5.92, 95% CI: 2.87–12.19 for affirmative agreement) were the main determinants of willingness to taking a COVID-19 vaccine.

Conclusion: It is imperative to reinforce the message of COVID-19 vaccine safety and efficacy and to include the GPs and the community pharmacies in the vaccination roll-out in South Africa.

 


Keywords

COVID-19; South Africa; vaccination; vaccine hesitancy; willingness to be vaccinated

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Crossref Citations

1. Persisting Vaccine Hesitancy in Africa: The Whys, Global Public Health Consequences and Ways-Out—COVID-19 Vaccination Acceptance Rates as Case-in-Point
Emmanuel O. Njoga, Olajoju J. Awoyomi, Onyinye S. Onwumere-Idolor, Priscilla O. Awoyomi, Iniobong C. I. Ugochukwu, Stella N. Ozioko
Vaccines  vol: 10  issue: 11  first page: 1934  year: 2022  
doi: 10.3390/vaccines10111934