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COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy among Youths in Soweto, South Africa.

Jelioth MuthoniKennedy OtwombeDineo ThaeleIsaac ChogeBent SteenbergClare L CutlandShabir A MadhiAndile SokaniNellie Myburgh
Published in: Vaccines (2023)
In combatting COronaVIrus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), immunization is the most prominent strategy. However, vaccination hesitancy-meaning delays in accepting or denying inoculation regardless of availability-has been identified as an essential threat to global health. Attitudes and perceptions play a pivotal role in vaccine acceptability. Meanwhile, uptake in South Africa's rollout has been particularly disappointing among youths. For that reason, we explored attitudes and perceptions of COVID-19 in 380 youths in Soweto and Thembelihle, South Africa, between April and June 2022. A staggering hesitancy rate of 79.2 percent was recorded (301/380). We found negative attitudes and confounded perceptions of COVID-19 to be fueled by medical mistrust and misinformation, with online channels as the main sources of non- and counterfactual claims stemming mostly from unregulated social media popular with youths. Understanding its underpinnings-and enhancing means of curbing vaccine hesitancy-will be paramount in boosting uptake in South Africa's immunization program, particularly among youths.
Keyphrases
  • south africa
  • coronavirus disease
  • social media
  • sars cov
  • hiv positive
  • healthcare
  • global health
  • health information
  • respiratory syndrome coronavirus
  • primary care
  • mental health
  • public health
  • palliative care