The Views of Jamaicans on their decision to be Vaccinated against the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Abstract

Introduction: The Jamaican government is working assiduously to ensure that its citizens receive the COVID-19 vaccinations. Despite these efforts, some Jamaicans are still reluctant towards taking the vaccines. As of December 6, 2021, over four billion people (55.2%) worldwide got vaccinated with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 45% of the population worldwide are fully vaccinated. As of the same date, 17.72% (n=526,900) of Jamaicans were fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.

Objective: To evaluate the perception of vaccinated Jamaicans' decision to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 disease.

Method: This study sought to evaluate the perception of vaccinated Jamaicans' decision on vaccinating against the COVID-19 disease. The study occurred between September 1 and November 22, 2021. One thousand and sixty-six male and female volunteers from the three Jamaican counties of Cornwall, Middlesex, and Surrey participated in this study using purposive sampling. Researchers used Google Forms to generate a standardized survey questionnaire consisting of 14 health-seeking behaviour and demographic closed-ended questions using a qualitative analysis method.

Results: Most of the COVID-19 sampled respondents were 1) aged 55-64 years (19.1%,n=205) followed by those aged 25-34 years (17.8%, n=191), 2) lived in rural areas (65.0%, n=699), 3) resided in Kingston and St. Andrew (16.6%, n=178), and 4) those in the healthcare sector (21.7%, n=233) followed by people employed in the tourism and entertainment industry (15.8%, n=170). Of the vaccinated sampled respondents (n=1,075), only 35.3% (n=379) of them have had only 1-dose of the vaccine against COVID-19.Fully-vaccinated Jamaicans are 4.5 times more likely to be pro-Vax than if they perceived the vaccine ineffective in treating the COVID-19 disease. Jamaicans who believed that the COVID-19 vaccines are at least somewhat effective are 2.5 times more likely to be pro-Vax than those who perceived the vaccines to be ineffective in treating the disease. People's occupation is 1.9 times more likely to account for them being fully vaccinated. The information provided on social media websites is influential in determining Jamaicans decision to be fully vaccinated against the disease (OR=1.1).

Conclusion: The hesitancy of Jamaicans towards the COVID-19 vaccines is a multidimensional issue and one that cannot be addressed by simply mandating vaccination. COVID-19 is a communicable disease that has changed the bio psychosocial landscape of the world and to address the matter, policies must be multi-factorial and not mandatory vaccination.