Summary:
Introduction: Vaccines are a helpful prevention tool for the individual and the entire community. Immunizing many people against a particular disease prevents virus transmission by protecting the unvaccinated (community immunity). The race for anti-COVID vaccinations, which started on December 27, 2020, is still ongoing. Purpose: This thesis aims to present the relationship between the vaccination’s intention rate against COVID-19 and the socioeconomic status of countries worldwide by analysing the different factors that affect this area. Method: A systematic review was conducted for publications between 2020 and 2021. The online databases include MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar. Firstly, the willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine of the population of countries worldwide and secondly, the factors related to this willingness were examined. Results: 30 articles were included in the review with studies from all five continents. From the demographic characteristics, the data showed that male sex, high educational level, urban population, older people and higher income positively correlated with the sample's desire to be vaccinated. From the socio-behavioural factors, the data showed that several factors that have to do with the virus itself, such as information about the virus, its risks, the mode of transmission, etc., with the trust of the community ( to Public Health, to the government, to vaccine manufacturers, etc.), with the sensitive health of individuals (existence of chronic diseases, vulnerable groups, etc.) and other health factors (presence of health insurance, health coverage, etc.), with the effectiveness of vaccines against of COVID-19 (vaccine side effect risk was assessed with a negative correlation), and other socio-political factors (exposure to social norms supporting vaccination against COVID-19, individual responsibility and social responsibility, etc.) positively influence acceptance and willingness to receive the vaccine. Conclusions: A pandemic is a community experience that substantially impacts all citizens and requires a collaborative response. However, vaccine hesitancy remains a barrier to community vaccination against highly infectious diseases and is a crucial problem for this pandemic as well. Access to good quality care is a human right and ensuring it is a political choice. The search for an effective policy formulation may be crucial to improve the community's willingness to accept a vaccine against COVID-19 in order to have sufficient vaccination rates. Understanding the willingness to receive the vaccine and the associated factors would provide valuable insight and direction for clinical implementation and intervention development.
Keywords:
Willingness, Acceptance, Hesitancy, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Vaccine, Associated factors, Determinant factors
