Major Drivers for COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance: A Scoping Review

Ali Azeez Al-Jumaili; Ali H.  Hamzah

doi:10.54133/ajms.v2i.59

Authors

Ali Azeez Al-Jumaili Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4691-0280
Ali H. Hamzah Department of Medicinal and Biological Chemistry, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0536-7971

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54133/ajms.v2i.59

Keywords:

Acceptance to use vaccines, COVID-19, Health belief model, Vaccine

Abstract

Objective: To review and identify the major drivers for COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. Methods: A scoping review of studies of COVID-19 vaccine perceptions and barriers to using the COVID-19 vaccines. Two search engines, including PubMed and Google Scholar, were purposefully searched. Results: Eight studies from different countries were reviewed to categorize factors influencing people's acceptance of COVID-19 according to the Health Belief Model (HBM). Perceived susceptibility, and severity of the disease (COVID-19), in addition to perceived benefits of COVID-19 vaccination and "cues to action", can enhance vaccination acceptance. In contrast, perceived barriers to the COVID-19 vaccine can increase people's hesitancy to be vaccinated. Conclusions: The HBM domains are successful in the prediction of human behaviors toward preventive measures, including vaccination. In general, high perceived susceptibility, severity, benefits, and minimum barriers should always be maintained to keep the vaccination rate high. Reducing the hesitancy to get the vaccine can be achieved by increasing awareness campaigns about the vaccine's efficacy in preventing infection.