Covid 19 Vaccination Status, Hesitancy and Barriers; A Multicenter Study of Medical Students from Pakistan

Abstract

Introduction: The key factor to fight with COVID-19 is vaccination for the development of which global stakeholders allocated huge resources. But at the same time many conspiracies arose and a phenomenon of vaccine hesitancy also developed which is restricting a large no of population to be vaccinated. The current study was designed to find out vaccination status of medical students and their families, vaccine hesitancy and barriers they faced in convincing their families to be vaccinated.

Methods: Around 1400 students of 4th year and 5th year from 8 medical colleges of Punjab province were invited to participate in this online survey. This Validated Questionnaire consisted of three parts, demographic information, vaccination status and barriers for vaccination.

Results: Out of 522 participants, 41.1% were males and 58.6% were females. The mean age of the participants was 22.33 ±1.17 SD. An encouraging finding is that majority of medical students were vaccinated (91%, n=475). Same is the case with their nuclear family members. Majority of medical students have at least tried to convince their family members for vaccination (80%). A significant proportion of participants experienced barriers to convince their nuclear and extended family members. Among these, serious complications/death, clotting episodes, may inject something in body to be controlled by others in future were mention worthy. The phenomenon of vaccine hesitancy is impeding the people from COVID-19 vaccination. Steps must be taken at all levels to curb this cumbersome conspiracy. So, the fantasy of bringing this global calamity to an end could be fulfilled.

Conclusion: The study concludes that a significant number of medical students got vaccinated and also tried to convince their nuclear and extended families. However, the phenomenon of vaccine hesitancy is impeding the drive for mass vaccination. Apart from the interventions at multiple levels, medical students must be encouraged and directed to play their role for community awareness