Factors and Determinants for Uptake of COVID-19 Vaccine in a Medical University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Altulaihi, Bader A; Alharbi, Khalid G; Alaboodi, Talal A; Alkanhal, Hamad M; Alobaid, Meshal M; Aldraimly, Maha A

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is also known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), is an infection that is caused by the novel coronavirus. COVID-19 has severely affected the public health by causing more than 200 million cases and four million deaths worldwide. There are, presently, no specific antiviral treatments for COVID-19. As immunization is one of the most successful and cost-effective health interventions to prevent this infectious disease, a number of vaccines, around 112, have been developed. In Saudi Arabia, many vaccination campaigns have already started. There are currently four approved COVID-19 vaccines but only three are available for use in Saudi Arabia. Methods This was a cross-sectional study in which a web-based survey was distributed to medical students in their clinical years at the College of Medicine in King Saud bin Abdulaziz University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A total of 209 questionnaires were distributed. The survey assessed the demographic data, perception towards COVID-19 vaccine, barriers and predictors for accepting COVID-19 vaccine. Results Two-hundred and four respondents completed the survey with a response rate of 96.7%. Overall, 118 of the participants were males and 86 were females. Sixty-six percent of our participants had taken the vaccine. Of those, males and females were distributed equally in half. Fifty-three percent of the participants who had taken the vaccine aged 21-23. This age group had a significant effect on acceptance of the vaccine. Most common deterrent to taking COVID-19 vaccine was safety issues despite not having a statistical significance. In terms of motivators, the majority thought that fear of getting COVID-19 infection was the most important motivator to taking COVID-19 vaccine, which was statistically significant as well. Conclusion In the setting of spreading COVID-19 infection, the vaccine is still the solution to halting infection spread. Based on our findings, we see that there was a high acceptance rate (66.2%) of COVID-19 vaccine.