Willingness of Middle Eastern public to receive COVID-19 vaccines

Background: COVID-19 is a pacing pandemic that affected health systems, economy, and social life in the whole world. Currently, there is no treatment for it, but the world is in a race that yielded, in a relatively short time than usual, several approved, promising vaccines in the middle of a storm of debates because of the speed of their production and approval. Objective: This study assessed the willingness of Middle Eastern Arab publics to receive COVID-19 vaccines and investigated the factors behind any reluctance to receive them. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was distributed through social media applications in four Arab countries (Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Iraq). Participants' demographics, medical history, their experience with COVID-19, and their willingness to receive the available vaccines were obtained and analyzed. Results: A total of 2,925 completed forms were included. Only 25% of the participants were willing to receive a vaccine while 33% were hesitant. Iraqis were the most willing to receive it while Jordanians were the least (35% and 17% of each country, respectively). Interestingly, 60% of the acceptors were ready to pay for the vaccine if not covered by governments. It was also found that American vaccines were preffered by 50% of the acceptors. However, 30% of acceptors were unsure of which vaccine is the best and 11% stated that any vaccine is good. Social media were the major source of information about COVID19 and its vaccines. Finally, predictors of acceptance of the vaccines included living in Saudi Arabia and Iraq, being unmarried, having monthly income > $1,000, holding a medical degree, having high fear from COVID-19, feeling of being at risk of getting infected with COVID-19, and previous reception of influenza vaccine, whereas predictors of refusal included female sex and previous infection with COVID-19. Conclusion: Middle Eastern Arabs are less likely to accept receiving the COVID-19 vaccines compared with non-Arabs. Health authorities in these countries are advised to intensify their awareness-raising activities about the vaccines while ensuring fair distribution of them. (c) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

The study found that only 25% of Middle Eastern Arab participants were willing to receive COVID-19 vaccines, with 33% being hesitant. Iraqis showed the highest willingness to receive the vaccine, while Jordanians were the least willing. 60% of acceptors were willing to pay for the vaccine themselves, and 50% preferred American vaccines.