Fear – Shifting from the Virus to the Vaccine

Abstract

Objective: To determine the reasons for hesitancy against the COVID-19 vaccine in the Rawalpindi/Islamabadregion of Pakistan.Study Design: Cross-sectional study.Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at the Department of Microbiology, Army MedicalCollege, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from 1 June 2021 to 1 July 2021.Materials and Methods: A questionnaire of socio-demographic variables and factors leading to vaccinationhesitancy was administered to the participants after obtaining informed consent. Data were analyzed by usingSPSS version 27.0.Results: Out of total of 1067 participants, 41 % declined vaccination. The main reason for refusal of the vaccinewas fear of death 25.6% followed by fear of infertility 16.5%. Social media also played a major role in leading tovaccine hesitancy as 46.3 % of the study population expressed distrust in vaccines because of social mediainfluence, followed by 44.5% having concerns about the safety and efficacy of vaccines.Conclusion: The vaccine acceptance rate was sub-optimal among participants. As almost 41 % of theparticipants were hesitant. The success of any vaccination program largely depends on the public willingness toaccept the vaccine therefore policy makers and stake holders should try to address the apprehensions of thegeneral public.