COVID-19 Vaccination Status as Well as Factors Associated with COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance and Hesitancy among Prisoners and the Implications

Autor: Alina Shabir, Noorah A. Alkubaisi, Amna Shafiq, Muhammad Salman, Mohamed A. Baraka, Zia Ul Mustafa, Yusra Habib Khan, Tauqeer Hussain Malhi, Johanna C. Meyer, Brian Godman
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2023
Předmět:
Zdroj: Vaccines, Vol 11, Iss 6, p 1081 (2023)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 11061081
2076-393X
DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11061081
Popis: Prisoners form a population who are highly vulnerable to COVID-19 due to overcrowding, limited movement, and a poor living environment. Consequently, there is a need to ascertain the status of COVID-19 vaccination and factors associated with hesitancy among prisoners. A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was undertaken among prisoners at three district jails in Punjab Province, Pakistan. A total of 381 prisoners participated and none of the study participants had received an influenza vaccine this year. In total, 53% received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, with the majority having two doses. The top three reasons of vaccine acceptance were “fear of contracting SARS-CoV-2 infection” (56.9%), “desire to return to a pre-pandemic routine as soon as possible” (56.4%), and “having no doubts on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines” (39.6%). There was no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) in any demographic variables between vaccinated and unvaccinated prisoners except for age, which was strongly association with COVID-19 vaccine uptake (χ2(3) = 76.645, p < 0.001, Cramer’s V = 0.457). Among the unvaccinated prisoners (N = 179), only 16 subsequently showed willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The top three reasons for hesitancy were: COVID-19 is not a real problem/disease (60.1%), safety concerns (51.1%), and COVID-19 vaccine is a conspiracy (50.3%). Efforts are needed to address their concerns given this population’s risks and high hesitancy rates, especially among younger prisoners.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
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