Low Uptake of COVID-19 Vaccines in Wad Medani City, Gezira State, Sudan: Hesitancy and Poor Accessibility

Overview

Journal Vaccine X

Date 2023 Aug 31

PMID 37649618

Authors

M Elmustafa

A Wedaa

Hanaa Babiker

Ammar Elmajzoup

Halima Ali

Rana Ahmed

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Vaccination is an important strategy in the fight against COVID-19. Although Sudan received vaccines since March 2021, vaccine uptake is very low. This study aimed to determine COVID-19 vaccine uptake and hesitancy in one of the largest Urban settings in Sudan. A survey was done among adults from 15 market places in Wad Medani city. Collected data included; demographic characteristics, vaccination status, type of received vaccine, number of received doses, side effects experienced after vaccination and reasons for refusing or delaying vaccination. In total, 1323 questionnaires were eligible for analysis. Most respondents were male (55.5%), younger than 60 years of age (89.5%) and received some sort of formal education (92.7%). Education level was significantly associated with vaccination uptake (p < 0.001). At the time of the study; 33.2%, 42%, 16.8% and 8% of participants were vaccinated, willing to receive vaccination, rejecting vaccination or haven't decided to receive a COVID-19 vaccine yet respectively. The most common reason for rejection indicated by participants was safety concerns (79.3%). Reasons for hesitance expressed by 64% of participant who said they were willing to take the vaccine were unavailability and difficult access to vaccines. Participants who expressed willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccine (42%) or were undecided (8%) were invited to a vaccination campaign. Of these, 27.9% attended and received their first shot of COVID-19 vaccine. Education level seems to be the main determinant for vaccination hesitancy. Safety concerns seem to play a major role in rejecting and delaying COVID-19 vaccination. Assuring vaccine's safety seems to be the way forward to reduce concerns about vaccination safety. Hesitancy was also shown to be partially related to difficulty in access to vaccines and a large proportion of the population are expected to receive the vaccine by improving availability and access.

Citing Articles

Vaccine hesitancy in context of COVID-19 in East Africa: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Alie M, Abebe G, Negesse Y, Adugna A, Girma D BMC Public Health. 2024; 24(1):2796.

PMID: 39395943 PMC: 11470748. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-20324-z.

Impact of implemented vaccination strategies on vaccine uptake and attitude of final year pharmacy students toward COVID-19 vaccines in Gezira State, Sudan.

Wedaa A, Elmustafa M, Babiker H, Ahmed R Vaccine X. 2023; 15:100416.

PMID: 38075433 PMC: 10701370. DOI: 10.1016/j.jvacx.2023.100416.

References

Fisher K, Bloomstone S, Walder J, Crawford S, Fouayzi H, Mazor K . Attitudes Toward a Potential SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine : A Survey of U.S. Adults. Ann Intern Med. 2020; 173(12):964-973. PMC: 7505019. DOI: 10.7326/M20-3569. View

Salman M, Mallhi T, Tanveer N, Shehzadi N, Majeed Khan H, Ul Mustafa Z . Evaluation of Conspiracy Beliefs, Vaccine Hesitancy, and Willingness to Pay towards COVID-19 Vaccines in Six Countries from Asian and African Regions: A Large Multinational Analysis. Vaccines (Basel). 2022; 10(11). PMC: 9694922. DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10111866. View

Raja S, Osman M, Musa A, Hussien A, Yusuf K . COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, hesitancy, and associated factors among medical students in Sudan. PLoS One. 2022; 17(4):e0266670. PMC: 8989287. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266670. View

Mohamed A, Elhadi Y, Mohammed N, Ekpenyong A, Lucero-Prisno D . Exploring Challenges to COVID-19 Vaccination in the Darfur Region of Sudan. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2021; 106(1):17-20. PMC: 8733522. DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.21-0782. View

Jarrett C, Wilson R, OLeary M, Eckersberger E, Larson H . Strategies for addressing vaccine hesitancy - A systematic review. Vaccine. 2015; 33(34):4180-90. DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.04.040. View

Sallam M . COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Worldwide: A Concise Systematic Review of Vaccine Acceptance Rates. Vaccines (Basel). 2021; 9(2). PMC: 7920465. DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9020160. View

McCaffery K, Dodd R, Cvejic E, Ayrek J, Batcup C, Isautier J . Health literacy and disparities in COVID-19-related knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and behaviours in Australia. Public Health Res Pract. 2020; 30(4). DOI: 10.17061/phrp30342012. View

Sabahelzain M, Moukhyer M, Bosma H, van den Borne B . Determinants of Measles Vaccine Hesitancy among Sudanese Parents in Khartoum State, Sudan: A Cross-Sectional Study. Vaccines (Basel). 2022; 10(1). PMC: 8780692. DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10010006. View

Rzymski P, Borkowski L, Drag M, Flisiak R, Jemielity J, Krajewski J . The Strategies to Support the COVID-19 Vaccination with Evidence-Based Communication and Tackling Misinformation. Vaccines (Basel). 2021; 9(2). PMC: 7912910. DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9020109. View

10.

Reno C, Maietti E, Fantini M, Savoia E, Manzoli L, Montalti M . Enhancing COVID-19 Vaccines Acceptance: Results from a Survey on Vaccine Hesitancy in Northern Italy. Vaccines (Basel). 2021; 9(4). PMC: 8070202. DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9040378. View

11.

Cascini F, Pantovic A, Al-Ajlouni Y, Failla G, Ricciardi W . Attitudes, acceptance and hesitancy among the general population worldwide to receive the COVID-19 vaccines and their contributing factors: A systematic review. EClinicalMedicine. 2021; 40:101113. PMC: 8411034. DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2021.101113. View

12.

Abdulah D . Prevalence and correlates of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the general public in Iraqi Kurdistan: A cross-sectional study. J Med Virol. 2021; 93(12):6722-6731. PMC: 8427006. DOI: 10.1002/jmv.27255. View

13.

Sallam M, Dababseh D, Eid H, Hasan H, Taim D, Al-Mahzoum K . Low COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance Is Correlated with Conspiracy Beliefs among University Students in Jordan. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021; 18(5). PMC: 7967761. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18052407. View

14.

Elbadawi M, Altayib L, Birier A, Ali L, Hasabo E, Esmaeel M . Beliefs and barriers of COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy among Sudanese healthcare workers in Sudan: A cross sectional study. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2022; 18(6):2132082. PMC: 9746377. DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2022.2132082. View

15.

Omar S, Khalil R, Adam I, Al-Wutayd O . The Concern of COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Is behind Its Low Uptake among Patients with Diabetes Mellitus in Sudan. Vaccines (Basel). 2022; 10(4). PMC: 9031942. DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10040527. View

16.

Loomba S, de Figueiredo A, Piatek S, de Graaf K, Larson H . Measuring the impact of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation on vaccination intent in the UK and USA. Nat Hum Behav. 2021; 5(3):337-348. DOI: 10.1038/s41562-021-01056-1. View

17.

Alibrahim J, Awad A . COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy among the Public in Kuwait: A Cross-Sectional Survey. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021; 18(16). PMC: 8394561. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18168836. View

18.

Cooper S, van Rooyen H, Wiysonge C . COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in South Africa: how can we maximize uptake of COVID-19 vaccines?. Expert Rev Vaccines. 2021; 20(8):921-933. DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2021.1949291. View

19.

Njoga E, Awoyomi O, Onwumere-Idolor O, Awoyomi P, Ugochukwu I, Ozioko S . Persisting Vaccine Hesitancy in Africa: The Whys, Global Public Health Consequences and Ways-Out-COVID-19 Vaccination Acceptance Rates as Case-in-Point. Vaccines (Basel). 2022; 10(11). PMC: 9697713. DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10111934. View

20.

Solis Arce J, Warren S, Meriggi N, Scacco A, McMurry N, Voors M . COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and hesitancy in low- and middle-income countries. Nat Med. 2021; 27(8):1385-1394. PMC: 8363502. DOI: 10.1038/s41591-021-01454-y. View