article · Vaccines
An online cross-sectional survey conducted in the Democratic Republic of Congo during August and September 2020 evaluated public willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Among 4,131 respondents, just over half expressed willingness to be vaccinated, while roughly one quarter believed that COVID-19 did not exist. Several factors increased the likelihood of vaccine acceptance, including higher income levels, prior testing for COVID-19, acknowledgement of the disease's existence, and perceived community acceptance of vaccines. Conversely, healthcare workers demonstrated a significantly lower willingness to receive vaccination compared to non-healthcare workers. Overall, the recorded willingness to accept immunization was identified as insufficient to substantially reduce community transmission. Addressing these concerns and lifting acceptance rates, particularly within the healthcare workforce, will require large-scale public sensitisation campaigns.
Achieving widespread immunization is vital for curbing epidemic spread, yet high levels of vaccine hesitancy undermine public health efforts. Identifying that healthcare professionals and individuals sceptical of the disease's existence have lower vaccination intent highlights specific target groups that need targeted communication to build trust and increase uptake during health crises.
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We investigated the level of willingness for COVID-19 vaccination in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Data were collected between 24 August 2020 and 8 September 2020 through an online survey. A total of 4131 responses were included; mean age of respondents was 35 years (standard deviation: 11.5); 68.4% were females; 71% had elementary or secondary school education. One fourth (24.1%) were convinced that COVID-19 did not exist. Overall, 2310 (55.9%) indicated they were willing to be vaccinated. In a multivariable regression model, belonging to the middle and high-income category (OR = 1.85, CI: 1.46-2.35 and OR = 2.91, CI: 2.15-3.93, respectively), being tested for COVID-19 (OR = 4.71, CI: 3.62-6.12; <i>p</i> < 0.001), COVID-19 community vaccine acceptance (OR = 14.45, CI: 2.91-71.65; <i>p</i> = 0.001) and acknowledging the existence of COVID-19 (OR = 6.04, CI: 4.42-8.23; <i>p</i> < 0.001) were associated with an increased willingness to be vaccinated. Being a healthcare worker was associated with a decreased willingness for vaccination (OR = 0.46, CI: 0.36-0.58; <i>p</i> < 0.001). In conclusion, the current willingness for COVID-19 vaccination among citizens of the DRC is too low to dramatically decrease community transmission. Of great concern is the low intention of immunization among healthcare workers. A large sensitization campaign will be needed to increase COVID-19 vaccine acceptance.
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DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9020153
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