Low COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Brazil

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the entire world, and the vaccine has emerged as a source of hope for return to normal life. Still, various countries have reported high vaccine hesitancy rates. It is important to know the vaccine hesitancy profile in Brazil to help design adequate communi-cation strategies. Methods: A voluntary, anonymous online survey was conducted from January 22 to 29, 2021, including resident Brazilian adults to assess factors related to vaccine hesitancy. Sociodemographic and epidemio-logical data were analyzed. A bivariate analysis was conducted with the independent variables, with vac-cine hesitancy as the outcome variable, and a multivariate logistic model was used to calculated adjusted odds ratios. Results: The sample included 173,178 respondents, and vaccine hesitancy was found in 10.5%. The prin-cipal factors associated with vaccine hesitancy were the following: assigning importance to the vaccines efficacy (AOR = 16.39), fear of adverse reactions (AOR = 11.23), and assigning importance to the vaccines country of origin (AOR = 3.72). Other risk factors were the following: male gender (AOR = 1.62), having children (AOR = 1.29), 9 years of schooling or less (AOR = 1.31), living in the Central-West region (AOR = 1.19), age > 40 years (AOR = 1.17), and monthly income < U$788.68 (AOR = 1.13). The two vac-cines available in Brazil, Covishield and CoronaVac, showed similar confidence, 80.13% and 76.36%, respectively, despite the higher rejection of the latter vaccines Chinese origin. Interpretation: This online survey confirms the low vaccine hesitancy rate among Brazilians and allowed the identification of a profile that can assist the elaboration of communication strategies to increase vac-cine adherence. Funding: National Institute of Women, Children and Adolescents Health Fernandes Figueira, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (c) 2021 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Automated summary

The survey in Brazil revealed a low vaccine hesitancy rate, with main concerns being vaccine efficacy, adverse reactions, and vaccine origin. Factors associated with vaccine hesitancy included male gender, having children, lower education level, age over 40, lower income, and living in the Central-West region. Despite concerns about the origin of the CoronaVac vaccine, overall vaccine confidence was high in Brazil.