Public Acceptability of Covid-19 Vaccines and Its Predictors in Middle ‎Eastern/North African (Mena) Countries: A Systematic Review‎ Publisher Pubmed



Dadras O^{1, 2} ; Seyedalinaghi S² ; Karimi A³ ; Shamsabadi A⁴ ; Mahdiabadi S³ ; Mohammadi P³ ; Amiri A² ; Shojaei A² ; Pashaei Z² ; Mirzapour P² ; Qaderi K⁵ ; Mohssenipour M² ; Alilou S³ ; Mehraeen E⁶ Show All Authors Show Affiliations
Source: Human Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics Published:2022

Abstract

Introduction: COVID-19 vaccines emerged as a worldwide hope to contain the pandemic. However, many people ‎are still hesitant to receive these vaccines. We aimed to systematically review the public knowledge, perception, and acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries and the predictors of vaccine acceptability in this region. Methods: We systematically searched databases of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane and retrieved ‎all relevant studies by 5 August 2021. Results: There was a considerable variation in the COVID-19 vaccine acceptance ‎rates, from 12% in a study from Israel to 83.3% in Kuwait, although two other studies from Israel mentioned 75% ‎and 82.2% acceptability rates. Concerns about the side effects and safety of the vaccine were the main reasons for ‎the lack of acceptability of taking the vaccine, which was reported in 19 studies. ‎ Conclusion: Several factors, such as age, gender, education level, and comorbidities, ‎are worthy of attention as they could expand vaccine coverage in the target population.‎. © 2022 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.