COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy And Government Implications For Future Pandemics: A Lesson Learnt

Abstract

Countries around the globe have been affected by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to thousands of deaths. Vaccines are a reliable and effective method to deal with the pandemic. Irrespective of the significant results of the vaccine, the World Health Organization (WHO) has identified vaccine hesitancy as a hindrance to the fight against COVID-19. Vaccine hesitancy is a major concern that has a huge impact on global health as it creates hindrances to eliminating and coping with infectious epidemics and gaining immunity. Therefore, this study explores the reasons and level of vaccine hesitancy towards COVID-19. It also intends to examine the government measures to cope with the situation and suggest the implications for future pandemics. The mixed methods research design was opted for the current study. The data was collected from the general public through a survey consisting of closed-ended questions. For qualitat[1]ive data analysis, 11 interviews were conducted through purposive sampling from the targeted respondents who were either partially vaccinated or had non-vaccinated status. The findings indicate the reasons for vaccine hesitancy and imply future suggestions for the government to tackle the pandemic. The most frequently provided reasons for refusing the vaccine were the controversy over COVID-19 perceived side effects, reliance on natural immunity, lack of trust, and doubts about the efficacy of vaccines. Finally, suggestions were made to combat future pandemics based on the lessons learned after COVID-19.