COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy: Preliminary Questionnaire Survey of Knowledge and Attitudes in Libya
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Research Article JOJ Pub Health Volume 5 Issue 5 - June 2021 Copyright © All rights are reserved by Abdusalam Sharef Mahmoud DOI: 10.19080/JOJPH.2021.05.555674 COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy: Preliminary Questionnaire Survey of Knowledge and Attitudes in Libya Abdusalam Mahmoud1*, Abdurraouf Said2, Abdurrazag Nami3, Halla Elshwekh4 and Ahlam Ellafi5 1Department of Preventive Medicine, Faculty of veterinary Medicine, University of Tripoli, Libya 2Department of Anaestheisa and Intensive care, faculty of Medical Technology, University of Tripoli 3Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Kasr Khiar, AL-Mergib University, Libya 4Biotechnology Research Center (BTRC), Tripoli, Libya 5Department of Histology and Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tripoli, Libya Submission: June 14, 2021; Published: June 25, 2021 *Corresponding author: Abdusalam Sharef Mahmoud, Department of Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tripoli, Tripoli, Libya Abstract Background: The pre-vaccination survey is considered an important tool for assessing and evaluating knowledge, attitudes and determine vaccine milestoneshesitancy. Throughout of COVID-19 many pandemic, decades there the are world many had countries faced a challengescarifying inand fighting struggling against to mitigate the endemic, the impacts epidemic, of SARS-CoV-2 and pandemic among diseases their societies.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 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 byor suspectedSRAS-CoV-2. COVID-19 Regarding infection, the currently while andavailable 70.8% COVID-19 (95% CI: vaccines 66.56%-75%) (Sputnik participants V, AstraZeneca were and not Sinovac)sure if they in the had country, contracted the vastthe virus.majority Regarding (43.2%) the of therecurrent participants, COVID-19 they infection, would like our to questionnaire prefer the Sputnik survey V, followedreported bythat, (19.3%) at least AstraZeneca 5.8% (95% and CI: 3.60%-7.92%)(2.5%) Sinovac ofvaccines, the respondents while (35%) had of got the infected respondents twice 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 cause for the refuse and delay time of the vaccination from the most of the population. 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 Conclusion: Our study highlights that, the vaccine hesitancy is underestimated issue in Libya, and clearly there is misleading and misinformation 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 potentialabout SARS-CoV-2 safety concerns from unauthorized of the COVID-19 media vaccines. sources. Urgently, According the toLibyan the metadata healthy authority analysis ofneeds high to efficacy, enforce safety the public and successes health education of COVID-19 about vaccines vaccine safety, and Libyan healthy authorities should be implement an effective vaccination strategies that complement with international standard criteria for the for the COVID-19 vaccine should implement National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) in every municipality for collecting and processing information,vaccination policy and producing to improve periodic the vaccination reports during efficacy COVID-19 and the vaccinationvaccine coverage campaign. rate. Consequently, The Libya national deployment and vaccination plan Keywords: COVID-19 Vaccines; Vaccine Literacy; COVID-19 Introduction spread and slipover outside China leading to a pandemic The coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) emerged in Wuhan, throughout the world resulting in public and socioeconomic China in late 2019. The COVID-19 is caused by severe acute impacts with high morbidity and mortality rate that exceeds respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2). Consequently, SARS-CoV-2 the peak of the records in the humanitarian history. Globally, JOJ Pub Health 5(5): JOJPH.MS.ID.555674 (2021) 00142 Juniper Online Journal of Public Health until writing this paper, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused Since 30 March 2020, WHO declared COVID-19 as public health respectively of the SARS-CoV-2, and as of 31 May 2021, a total and partners work together on the response and implementation 170,426,245 and 3,548,628 of confirmed cases and death emergency of international concern (PHEIC), Consequently, WHO of 1,579,416,705 vaccine doses have been administered [1]. of international projects for supporting vaccine production and Throughout many decades the world had faced a challenge in safety for different countries started for vaccine manufacture for combat of SARS-CoV-2. The most African countries are relying on that have been emerging and re-emerging especially those fighting against the endemic, epidemic, and pandemic diseases that constitute a great potential risk on humanity’s life. Still, 1% of the 1.3 billion of the global COVID-19 vaccines have been COVAX vaccines. Comparatively, according to the WHO data about distributed in Africa. In addition, there is a slow rollout of COVID-19 pandemic, there are many countries scarifying and struggling to vaccines in many African Countries, and almost have already used after more than one year of scientific milestones of COVID-19 mitigate the impacts of SARS-CoV-2 among their societies. And also due to shortage of their public health capacities, fragility of partners are requested to support African Countries to mitigate all of their COVAX doses. Urgently, WHO, United Nation and their health system and weakness of surveillance system likely in the COVID-19 specially those countries lack of fund and weakness almost African Countries [2,3]. Conversely, the countries that of public health capacities [9]. Libya likes most of the African have met high standard level of public health capacities were able to mitigate and combat COVID-19 pandemic. However, one data regarding the side effect of the vaccine, and moreover lack Countries, there are insufficient reporting and shortage of the of the biggest challenges throughout medical and science history of trained professionals and hesitancy among the population that is how to implement blended strategy of prevention and control make almost countries faced a potential risks and challenges of to combat of COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the vaccination COVID-19 vaccine deployments. Therefore, developing a vaccine strategies and policies are considered of great importance for the against COVID-19 and maintaining the highest standards of safety prevention, control and eradication of many pandemic diseases is the main priority of the WHO. The vaccination strategy and policy [4,5]. Consequently, the vaccination policy is a milestone for are involved in the pre-vaccination and post-vaccination survey success of any vaccination campaign. Moreover, vaccination literacy is considered the main task and basic key clues for any important tolls for assessing and evaluating knowledge, attitudes and efficacy. However, the pre-vaccination survey is considered an vaccination campaign or programs especially those implemented and determine vaccine hesitance [6]. Notably, the vaccine literacy in case of emergency during the epidemic or pandemic either on in Libya is neglected and missed, therefore, we conducted this the regional or international level [6,7]. The Libyan authorities pilot questionnaire survey to address, assessing and evaluate have been implemented vaccination strategies against many COVID-19 literacy prior to and during the vaccination campaign transmissible infectious diseases for the past couple of years. And in the Tripoli area, Libya. the country is considered one of the most African Countries that strictly following the scheduled vaccination. There are different Material and Methods types of vaccines have been used for a long time as compulsory Study design and study area programmes and routinely applied as vaccines preventable The cross sectional study survey was conducted during diseases. The Libyan National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) April 2021 in Seventh Libyan Municipalities (Tripoli, Gaser under the supervision of Libyan health authorities has been ben-Gasher, Ain Zara, Souq Al Jum’aa, Abu