Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare (Jan 2022)
A Global Map of COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance Rates per Country: An Updated Concise Narrative Review
Abstract
Malik Sallam,1– 3 Mariam Al-Sanafi,4,5 Mohammed Sallam6 1Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, the University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan; 2Department of Clinical Laboratories and Forensic Medicine, Jordan University Hospital, Amman, Jordan; 3Department of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden; 4Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, Kuwait University, Kuwait City, Kuwait; 5Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, College of Health Sciences, Safat, Kuwait; 6Department of Pharmacy, Mediclinic Welcare Hospital, Mediclinic Middle East, Dubai, United Arab EmiratesCorrespondence: Malik Sallam Tel +962 791845186Email [email protected]: The delay or refusal of vaccination, which defines vaccine hesitancy, is a major challenge to successful control of COVID-19 epidemic. The huge number of publications addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy necessitates periodic review to provide a concise summary of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates worldwide. In the current narrative review, data on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates were retrieved from surveys in 114 countries/territories. In East and Southern Africa (n = 9), the highest COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rate was reported in Ethiopia (92%), while the lowest rate was reported in Zimbabwe (50%). In West/Central Africa (n = 13), the highest rate was reported in Niger (93%), while the lowest rate was reported in Cameroon (15%). In Asia and the Pacific (n = 16), the highest rates were reported in Nepal and Vietnam (97%), while the lowest rate was reported in Hong Kong (42%). In Eastern Europe/Central Asia (n = 7), the highest rates were reported in Montenegro (69%) and Kazakhstan (64%), while the lowest rate was reported in Russia (30%). In Latin America and the Caribbean (n = 20), the highest rate was reported in Mexico (88%), while the lowest rate was reported in Haiti (43%). In the Middle East/North Africa (MENA, n = 22), the highest rate was reported in Tunisia (92%), while the lowest rate was reported in Iraq (13%). In Western/Central Europe and North America (n = 27), the highest rates were reported in Canada (91%) and Norway (89%), while the lowest rates were reported in Cyprus and Portugal (35%). COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates ≥ 60% were seen in 72/114 countries/territories, compared to 42 countries/territories with rates between 13% and 59%. The phenomenon of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy appeared more pronounced in the MENA, Europe and Central Asia, and Western/Central Africa. More studies are recommended in Africa, Eastern Europe and Central Asia to address intentions of the general public to get COVID-19 vaccination.Keywords: SARS-CoV-2, vaccine hesitance, vaccine resistance, vaccine rejection, willingness to vaccinate, intention to vaccinate
