Evaluating COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy: A qualitative study from Vietnam

Background and aims: Vaccine hesitancy is a major threat to COVID-19 vaccination programs. This study aimed to examine the public attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines, the variance of these attitudes, and associated determinants within a large COVID-19 outbreak in Vietnam. Methods: Two focus group discussions were conducted online with 20 people from different socioeconomic and profession backgrounds. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants. Discussions were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Key themes were extracted using reflexive thematic analysis method. Results: Four distinct, non-static attitudes including acceptance, conditional acceptance, hesitancy, and anti-vaccination were found. Themes identified as determinants of these attitudes were external factors, internal factors, and risk-benefit self-assessment regarding COVID-19 vaccination. Conclusions: We found mixed, non-static COVID-19 vaccination attitudes. People's vaccination risk-benefit self-assessment greatly determines the variance of their attitudes over time. Given high public trust in the authorities, the government should take the lead to counter COVID-19 vaccine misinformation. To increase acceptance, vaccine advertising campaigns should focus on providing information about the dangers of COVID-19, the ability to manage side-effects at the vaccination centers, and updated, precise information on both the outbreak and vaccines. Future research is needed to identify the public most common COVID-19 information channels to enable effective community education. (c) 2021 Diabetes India. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study examined public attitudes and determinants of COVID-19 vaccines in a large outbreak in Vietnam. The findings revealed diverse attitudes, greatly influenced by individuals' risk-benefit assessment. The government should lead efforts to combat vaccine misinformation and increase acceptance through advertising campaigns providing accurate information and highlighting the ability to manage side effects at vaccination centers.