Covid-19 Vaccination Hesitancy: Preliminary Questionnaire Survey of Knowledge and Attitudes in Libya
Background: The pre-vaccination survey is considered an important tool for assessing and evaluating knowledge, attitudes and determine vaccine
hesitancy. Throughout many decades the world had faced a challenge in fighting against the endemic, epidemic, and pandemic diseases that have been
emerging and re-emerging special those that constitute a great potential risk on humanity’s life. Still, after more than one year and half of scientific
milestones of COVID-19 pandemic, there are many countries scarifying and struggling to mitigate the impacts of SARS-CoV-2 among their societies.
Objectives: Our study was conduct to address, assessing and evaluate COVID-19 vaccine literacy (VL) prior to and during the vaccination campaign
in Libya.
Material and Methods: The cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted during April 2021 one week prior COVID-19 vaccination campaign in
Libya. All relevant data was obtained and collected by online and face-to-face interview. The sampling method with an online Microsoft form questionnaire
resulted in collecting only 33 valid questionnaires. Further, the survey carried out also during vaccination campaign however, any participants who had
already taken the COVID-19 vaccine were not indorsed in questionnaire survey.
Results: A total of 243 participants were involved in this study. The overall response rate (45.6%). This study enrolled (58.8%) and (41.2%) of
participants from male and female respectively. Considering the age classes, the results revealed that (35%, 18-30 year), (43.6%, 31-50 year), (18.5%,
51-65 year) and (>65 year, 2.9%). The results revealed that, 29.2% (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 25%-33.44%) of the respondents were confirmed
or suspected COVID-19 infection, while and 70.8% (95% CI: 66.56%-75%) participants were not sure if they had contracted the virus. Regarding the
recurrent COVID-19 infection, our questionnaire survey reported that, at least 5.8% (95% CI: 3.60%-7.92%) of the respondents had got infected twice
by SRAS-CoV-2. Regarding the currently available COVID-19 vaccines (Sputnik V, AstraZeneca and Sinovac) in the country, the vast majority (43.2%) of
the participants, they would like to prefer the Sputnik V, followed by (19.3%) AstraZeneca and (2.5%) Sinovac vaccines, while (35%) of the respondents
refused to be vaccinated by three of these vaccines that have been provided by the Libyan healthy authorities under the supervision of NCDC. A proximately
33% (95% CI: 28.56%-37.28%) of the respondents refused to be vaccinated due to mistrust in the vaccine safety. Clearly, the vaccine safety was the main
cause for the refuse and delay time of the vaccination from the most of the population.
Conclusion: Our study highlights that, the vaccine hesitancy is underestimated issue in Libya, and clearly there is misleading and misinformation
about SARS-CoV-2 from unauthorized media sources. According to the metadata analysis of high efficacy, safety and successes of COVID-19 vaccines
for mitigate and minimize both the case fatality rate (CFT) and transmission rate across the entire of the global, still there is a controversies around
potential safety concerns of the COVID-19 vaccines. Urgently, the Libyan healthy authority needs to enforce the public health education about vaccine
safety, and Libyan healthy authorities should be implement an effective vaccination strategies that complement with international standard criteria for the
vaccination policy to improve the vaccination efficacy and the vaccine coverage rate. Consequently, The Libya national deployment and vaccination plan
for the COVID-19 vaccine should implement National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) in every municipality for collecting and processing
information, and producing periodic reports during COVID-19 vaccination campaign.
Abdusalam Sharef Abdusalam Mahmoud(6-2021)
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