Willingness, Hesitancy and Uptake of COVID-19 Vaccine among Undergraduate Students of University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: The development of an effective and safe vaccine against COVID-19 is crucial to eradicating or eliminating the disease. With global widespread perspectives on COVID-19 vaccine development and safety and the heavy burden of the pandemic, guaranteeing vaccine acceptability and uptake is necessary. The aim of this study was to determine the willingness, hesitancy, and uptake of COVID-19 vaccination among University of Port Harcourt students. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study design with multi-stage sampling was employed, and an online self-administered semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect information from registered undergraduate students of the university. The data collected was analyzed using Statistical Product and Service Solutions IBM version 26. Results: A total of 473 students were administered the questionnaire, with a mean age of 21±3.0 years. Females outnumbered males by 245 to 228 (51.8% to 48.2%). A total of 458 students (96.8%) were aware of the COVID-19 vaccine, 363 (76.7%) were hesitant, 50 (10.6%) had received the vaccine and 423 (89.4%) had not. Concern about getting the disease (COVID-19), vaccine safety, and preferred location to get vaccinated all had statistically significant associations with vaccine hesitancy (p-values=0.000). Conclusion: From the study, majority of students interviewed were aware of the COVID-19 vaccine but had not received the vaccine, with concern about getting the disease and vaccine safety majorly influencing their hesitancy. Based on the findings from this study, the adoption of modern and efficient methods of disseminating information about the COVID-19 vaccines, as well as the establishment of new vaccination points on university campuses are recommended.