Table 2.
Reasons for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and measures to improve the vaccine availability and acceptance in Nigeria.
| S/No | Questions Asked or Information Required | Number of Respondents (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | * Reasons for non-vaccination among unvaccinated respondents (n = 1079) | |
| COVID-19 vaccination registration protocol is difficult | 633 (58.7) | |
| Suspicion/doubts on safety of novel vaccines | 43 (4.0) | |
| COVID-19 is a hoax | 183 (17.0) | |
| The vaccines are not available/accessible in my locality | 57 (5.3) | |
| Herbal medicines/home remedies are effective for cure/management of COVID-19 | 65 (6.0) | |
| Influence from anti-COVID-19-vaccine movements | 40 (3.7) | |
| Vaccination is against my religious beliefs or personal ideology | 495 (45.9) | |
| Concerns about long term health/side effects | 296 (27.4) | |
| Scepticism about the vaccine due to hasty production/roll out | 159 (14.7) | |
| Preventive measures are enough to protect against COVID-19 | 323 (30.0) | |
| Bad feelings towards the vaccines due to negative social media reports/rumours | 633 (58.7) | |
| Others | 37 (3.4) | |
| 2. | * Some health concerns that prevented unvaccinated respondents (n = 1079) from getting vaccinated | |
| Blood clot issues among women | 266 (24.7) | |
| Allergic reactions | 307 (28.5) | |
| Innate immunity concerns | 345 (32.0) | |
| New or worsening muscle/joint pains | 107 (10.0) | |
| Myocardial infarction | 180 (16.7) | |
| Others | 41 (3.8) | |
| 3. | * Fears against COVID-19 vaccine among unvaccinated respondents (n = 1079) | |
| The vaccines may be unsafe due to its hasty production and or roll out | 674 (62.9) | |
| The vaccine may contain ‘hidden chip’ that may be a mark of the anti-Christ | 208 (19.3) | |
| It may limiting procreation and fertility and hence a population control strategy | 206 (19.9) | |
| The vaccine may cause deaths as one certain vaccine did in Kano State, Nigeria | 132 (12.2) | |
| The vaccine may cause adverse immunological problem as mRNA vaccine are relatively new and sufficient time is needed to proof their safety and efficacy | 613 (56.8) | |
| Others | 22 (2.0) | |
| 4. | * Ways to improve COVID-19 vaccine availability and acceptance in Nigeria (n = 1525) | |
| More COVID-19 vaccine donations from developed to developing countries | 519 (34.0) | |
| Increased funding to the Nigerian health and education/research sectors | 727(47.7) | |
| More public enlightenment campaigns/grass-root health education to the populace | 955 (62.6) | |
| Procurement of more COVID-19 vaccines | 379 (24.8) | |
| Commencement of indigenous COVID-19 vaccine production | 505 (33.1) | |
| Provision of COVID-19 vaccine storage and distribution facilities | 453 (29.7) | |
| Increased remuneration and provision of incentives to healthcare workers | 437 (28.7) | |
| Developed countries should halt 3rd COVID-19 booster vaccination to increase the availability of the vaccines in developing countries | 211 (13.8) | |
* Respondents were allowed to provide more than one response, as may be appropriate.