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Background: To create a successful public health initiative that counters vaccine hesitancy and promotes vaccine acceptance, it is essential to gain a strong understanding of the beliefs, attitudes and subjective risk perceptions of the population. Methods: A qualitative analysis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine discourse from 3,731 social media posts on the Twitter and Facebook accounts of six Canadian news organizations was used to identify the perceptions, attitudes, beliefs and intentions of Canadian news organizations’ social media commenters toward taking a COVID-19 vaccine. Results: Four main themes were identified: 1) COVID-19 vaccine safety and efficacy concerns; 2) conspiracy theories stemming from mistrust in government and other organizations; 3) a COVID-19 vaccine is unnecessary because the virus is not dangerous; and 4) trust in COVID-19 vaccines as a safe solution. Based on themes and subthemes, several key communication recommendations were developed for promotion of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, including infographics championed by Public Health that highlight the benefits of the vaccine for those who have received it, public education about the contents and safety of the vaccine and eliciting an emotional connection through personal stories of those impacted by COVID-19. Conclusion: Specific considerations, such as leveraging the public’s trust in healthcare professionals to act as a liaison between Public Health and the Canadian public to communicate the benefits of the vaccine against COVID-19 and its variants, may help reduce COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has resulted in many cases of morbidity and mortality across the globe, and the lack of the COVID-19 vaccine has contributed greatly to this experience. COVID-19 vaccines have currently been rolled out, and are available in some countries. However, strategies need to be put in place to prevent COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (VH) especially in Africa; a continent where VH has been previously reported following the introduction of new vaccines. For this cause, we, therefore, recommend optimal community involvement in the structure and modalities for the delivery of the prospective COVID-19 vaccine. Also, feedback mechanisms for the acknowledgement of community efforts in previous health interventions should be improved upon to encourage the acceptance of the prospective COVID-19 vaccine. In addition, improved multi-sectoral collaboration should be initiated and promoted to enhance the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines through the provision of more resources required to address COVID-19 VH. Furthermore, integration of the COVID-19 vaccine into the routine immunization schedule would strengthen the health system, improve uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine, and improve the health of all persons living on the African continent.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated health inequities worldwide. Research conducted in Canada shows that Black populations were disproportionately exposed to COVID-19 and more likely than other ethnoracial groups to be infected and hospitalized. This scoping review sought to map out the nature and extent of current research on COVID-19 among Black people in Canada., Methods: Following a five-stage methodological framework for conducting scoping reviews, studies exploring the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Black people in Canada, published up to May 2023, were retrieved through a systematic search of seven databases. Of 457 identified records, 124 duplicates and 279 additional records were excluded after title and abstract screening. Of the remaining 54 articles, 39 were excluded after full-text screening; 2 articles were manually picked from the reference lists of the included articles. In total, 17 articles were included in this review., Results: Our review found higher rates of COVID-19 infections and lower rates of COVID-19 screening and vaccine uptake among Black Canadians due to pre-COVID-19 experiences of institutional and structural racism, health inequities and a mistrust of health care professionals that further impeded access to health care. Misinformation about COVID-19 exacerbated mental health issues among Black Canadians., Conclusions: Our findings suggest the need to address social inequities experienced by Black Canadians, particularly those related to unequal access to employment and health care. Collecting race-based data on COVID-19 could inform policy formulation to address racial discrimination in access to health care, quality housing and employment, resolve inequities and improve the health and well-being of Black people in Canada., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

WHO defines vaccine hesitancy as delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite the availability of vaccine services. It is a complex phenomenon that varies through time, place and vaccines. In this comment, we highlight the context-specific variation of Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy in Tanzania. We suggest Covid-19 hesitancy in Tanzania is influenced with high burden of infectious disease, poor testing capabilities and demographic characteristics., (Copyright © 2023 SFMTSI.)

Background: South Africa is aiming to achieve herd immunity against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by the first quarter of 2022. The success of the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out depends primarily on the willingness of the population to take the vaccines. Aim: This study aimed to examine the willingness to take the COVID-19 vaccine, along with the factors of concern, efficacy and preferences of the individual, which may increase the willingness to be vaccinated. Setting: This study was conducted at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, amongst adult students and academic and professional staff. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey from 27 July 2021 to 14 August 2021 was conducted. We performed descriptive and inferential analysis to determine the factors associated with willingness to take the COVID-19 vaccine. Results: A total of 2364 participants responded to a survey link and 82.0% were students, 66.8% were in the 18–29 years age band and females represented 64.0%. A total of 1965 participants (83.3%) were willing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, the most preferred vaccines were Pfizer (41%) and JJ (23%), local pharmacy (29%) and General Practitioner (GP) (17%) were the preferred places for vaccination and the trusted sources of information on COVID-19 vaccines were the general practitioners (40.6%) and specialists (19.2%). Perceptions that vaccines are safe (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 31.56, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 16.02–62.12 for affirmative agreement) and effective (aOR = 5.92, 95% CI: 2.87–12.19 for affirmative agreement) were the main determinants of willingness to taking a COVID-19 vaccine. Conclusion: It is imperative to reinforce the message of COVID-19 vaccine safety and efficacy and to include the GPs and the community pharmacies in the vaccination roll-out in South Africa.

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INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 pandemic is a global public health threat facing mankind. There is no specific antiviral treatment for COVID-19, and many vaccine candidates are currently under clinical trials. This study aimed to understand the perception of social media users regarding a hypothetical COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria. METHOD: we conducted a cross-sectional survey among social media users in Nigeria in August 2020 using an online questionnaire. The questionnaire includes sections on the demographic characteristics of the respondents and their perception regarding a hypothetical COVID-19 vaccine. A total of 517 respondents completed and returned the informed consent along with the questionnaire electronically. Data were coded and abstracted into Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and loaded into the STATA 14 software for final analysis. RESULTS: the results showed that more than half of the respondents were male 294 (56.9%). Most of the respondents 385 (74.5%) intend to take the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available. Among the 132 respondents that would not take the COVID-19 vaccine, the major reason for non-acceptance was unreliability of the clinical trials 49 (37.1%), followed by the belief that their immune system is sufficient to combat the virus 36 (27.3%). We found a significant association between the age of the respondents and the COVID-19 vaccine acceptance (P-value=0.00) as well as geographical location and COVID-19 vaccine acceptance (P-value=0.02). CONCLUSION: it was observed that most of the respondents were willing to take the COVID-19 vaccine. Our findings also reiterate the need to reassure the public the benefits an effective and safe COVID-19 vaccine can reap for public health. There is a need for national health authorities in Nigeria to ensure public trust is earned and all communities, including the marginalized populations, are properly engaged to ensure an optimal COVID-19 vaccine acceptance.

Context: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the greatest global health catastrophe of the century, with its vaccine hesitancy compounding the woes. Relevant stakeholders, including pharmacy students (whose education was disrupted) are important bulwarks against these catastrophes, but their COVID-19-related information are scarce., Aims: We assessed COVID-19 knowledge, its vaccine uptake intentions, and the influence of personality traits among pharmacy undergraduates in a Nigerian university., Settings and Design: This was a post-lockdown cross sectional study conducted at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto., Subjects and Methods: A 61-item questionnaire was used to collect data among pharmacy undergraduates who attended Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria, in May 2021., Statistical Analysis Used: Summary statistics- mean (±standard deviation), range, frequency, proportion; inferential statistics- Chi square statistics, binary logistic regression., Results: The response rate was 88% (168/191). The average COVID-19 knowledge score, the frequency of acceptance, and hesitancy to take COVID-19 vaccine among study participants were 42.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 42.1-43.7), 39.1% (95% CI = 37.3%-41.8%), and 61.9% (95% CI = 58.0%-64.2%), respectively. In addition, of the 168 study participants, 73 (43.5%) considered themselves to have high self-esteem, 67 (39.9%) were highly extroverted, 91 (54.2%) highly privately self-conscious, 96 (57.1%) highly publicly self-conscious, and 60 (35.7%) highly self-restrained, with 57 (34.0%) not believing in the existence of COVID-19. COVID-19 knowledge varied significantly by level of study ( F [2,165] = 5.539; P = 0.005; η 2 = 0.06). Similarly, those with high self-esteem were twice as knowledgeable regarding COVID-19 as those with low self-esteem (odds ratio [OR]: 2.02; 95% CI: 1.08-3.78; P = 0.03) with gleaning COVID-19-related information from social media platforms predicting COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (CVH) (OR: 0.37; 95% CI: 0.16-0.85; P = 0.02)., Conclusions: The observed suboptimal COVID-19 knowledge was associated with participants' low level of self-esteem, and the prevalent CVH was associated with obtaining COVID-19-related information from social media platform., (Copyright © 2024 Copyright: © 2024 Annals of African Medicine.)

Introduction: The objective is to evaluate factors associated with Covid 19 vaccine hesitancy in Mali., Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among the general population aged 18 and over, in rural and urban areas in Mali. Two-stage sampling was used. The number of participants to be surveyed was determined using probability proportional to size. For the identification of the households, we used the technique of the coordinates of the satellite positioning system. Logistic regression was applied to examine associations., Results: The age group of 31 to 59 years represented 58.04% of the participants. The male sex represented with 53.26. Vaccination coverage represented 29.13% and hesitation to vaccination represented 49.30%. Participants who aged up to 60 are 49% less likely to hesitate to get vaccinated., Conclusion: Public health interventions targeted at populations in the age group 31 to 59, women living in urban areas and who have attended school could reduce hesitation to vaccinate against Covid-19., (Le comité de rédaction se réserve le droit de renvoyer aux auteurs avant toute soumission à l'avis des lecteurs les manuscrits qui ne seraient pas conformes à ces modalités de présentation. En outre il leur conseille de conserver un exemplaire du manuscrit, des figures et des tableaux.)

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The development of vaccines to combat the COVID-19 pandemic brought a huge relief to governments, health workers, and citizens around the globe. However, some citizens are not willing to get vaccinated. Some researchers have attributed this vaccine hesitancy to religion and trust in the government handling the pandemic. This research aims to investigate the impact of these two factors on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in Africa. We used data from round 8 of the Afrobarometer survey with a sample size of 6,057 participants. Means, proportions, standard deviations, and ordered logistic regressions were used in the analysis. The results show that Christians and members of other religions such as Hinduism and Hare Krishna were more likely to accept COVID-19 vaccines. In addition, the study found that people who hold some beliefs about the vaccines were less likely to get vaccinated. Finally, citizens who trust the government’s handling of the pandemic were more willing to accept COVID-19 vaccination. Based on these findings, a number of religious health promotion measures are proposed.

Nova Scotia has expanded the scope of practice for community pharmacists by allowing, among other changes, pharmacist prescribing under specific circumstances (2011) and administration of drugs by injection (2013), thereby alleviating stress on the health system. Due to these progressive expansions in community pharmacy scope of practice, Nova Scotia community pharmacy personnel (about 1,500 pharmacists and 246 technicians working in 315 pharmacies) were rapidly able to play key roles in the province’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Community pharmacies provided medicines, medical devices, personal protective equipment, hand hygiene solutions, thermometers, and pulse oximeters to patients and the public. In addition, they have responded to patients’ COVID-19-related needs by treating symptoms; providing referrals; discussing the benefits and risks of COVID-19 vaccines and administering them; making nirmatrelvir/ritonavir assessments; and addressing vaccine hesitancy and the spread of misinformation about COVID-19. Moreover, as in some other provinces, community pharmacists in Nova Scotia have played a leading role in delivering COVID-19 vaccines from almost the start of the vaccination campaign in December 2020. Their role expanded further in May 2022, when pharmacists were granted prescribing authority for inhaled budesonide in accordance with the provincial protocol to treat mild SARS-CoV-2 respiratory symptoms. La Nouvelle-Écosse a élargi le champ d’exercice des pharmaciens communautaires en autorisant, entre autres, la prescription par un pharmacien dans des circonstances spécifiques (2011) et l’administration de médicaments par injection (2013), soulageant ainsi le système de santé. Grâce à ces élargissements progressifs du champ d’exercice des pharmacies communautaires, le personnel des pharmacies communautaires de Nouvelle-Écosse (environ 1 500 pharmaciens et 246 techniciens travaillant dans 315 pharmacies) a pu contribuer de manière cruciale et rapide à la réponse de la province à la pandémie de COVID-19. Les pharmacies communautaires ont fourni des médicaments, des dispositifs médicaux, des équipements de protection individuelle, des solutions pour l’hygiène des mains, des thermomètres et des oxymètres de pouls aux patients et au public. En outre, elles ont répondu aux besoins des patients liés à la COVID-19 en traitant les symptômes, en orientant les patients, en discutant des avantages et des risques des vaccins contre la COVID-19 et de leur administration, en évaluant la pertinence de traiter certains patients au nirmatrelvir/ritonavir et en répondant à l’hésitation vaccinale et à la diffusion d’informations erronées sur la COVID-19. De plus, les pharmaciens communautaires de Nouvelle-Écosse, comme ceux d’autres provinces, ont joué un rôle de premier plan dans l’administration des vaccins contre la COVID-19 dès le début de la campagne de vaccination en décembre 2020. Leur rôle s’est encore élargi en mai 2022, lorsque les pharmaciens ont été autorisés à prescrire du budésonide inhalé, conformément au protocole provincial, pour traiter les symptômes respiratoires légers du SRAS-CoV-2.

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Copyright of Médecine is the property of John Libbey Eurotext Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

An editorial is presented which argues on Vaccine development and vaccine strategies against Covid-19, which includes the closure of schools, the closure of places of work, ban on public events, ban on gatherings of more than ten people, home confinement and limitations in mobility appeared to be associated with a reduction in transmission of SARS-CoV-2.