Turning COVID-19 Vaccines into Vaccinations : New Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa
As COVID-19 vaccines have become more widely available in Sub-Saharan Africa, vaccination campaigns in the region have struggled to pick up pace and trail the rest of the world. This paper presents new evidence on vaccine hesitancy, uptake, last-mi...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2022
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099335508232217310/IDU05ec89c670f38b04fbc0a07c0e8b8d6b653e1 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/37919 |
| Summary: | As COVID-19 vaccines have become more
widely available in Sub-Saharan Africa, vaccination
campaigns in the region have struggled to pick up pace and
trail the rest of the world. This paper presents new
evidence on vaccine hesitancy, uptake, last-mile delivery
barriers, and potential strategies to reach those who remain
unvaccinated. The data come from high-frequency phone
surveys in five countries in East and West Africa (Burkina
Faso, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, and Tanzania). The surveys
were conducted by countries’ national statistical agencies,
have national scope, are cross-country comparable, and draw
their samples from nationally representative sampling
frames. The findings show that across the study countries, a
majority is willing to get vaccinated. Still, vaccine
hesitancy is non-negligible among those pending vaccination.
Concerns about side effects of the vaccine are the primary
reason for hesitancy. At the same time, many who are willing
to get vaccinated are deterred by a lack of easy access to
vaccines at the local level. Radio broadcasts have
widespread reach and medical professionals have good rapport
among the unvaccinated population. Furthermore, social ties
and perceptions as well as intrahousehold power relations
matter for vaccine take-up. Based on the findings, the paper
elaborates policy options to boost vaccination campaigns in
Sub-Saharan Africa. |
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