While South Africans are urged to get vaccinated against Covid-19 to curb the spread of the virus, vaccine hesitancy has led to many people opting not to get the free jab.
This is according to three research experts at the Centre for Health Systems Research and Development of the University of the Free State (UFS).
Prof. Michelle Engelbrecht, Dr Gladys Kigozi and Prof. Christo Heunis conducted an online survey among the adult population in September 2021 to determine people’s ability to collect and understand information about vaccinations and make an informed decision.
The survey, available in Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, English, Pedi, Tswana and Sotho, was advertised on social media and via the Moya App.
A total of 10 466 completed questionnaires were included in the analysis, according to the research team.
Although it was conducted on a data-free platform, only people with access to a smartphone, tablet or computer could complete the online questionnaire.
According to the research team, health-literate individuals understand the reasons behind medical recommendations, take cognisance of the possible outcomes of their actions and are better able to understand the risks related to vaccines.
The team’s findings highlighted the importance of vaccine literacy when deciding whether or not to be vaccinated.
They discovered that almost 60% of respondents were unvaccinated against Covid-19.
According to the research team, the main reasons for respondents’ decision not to be vaccinated included:
- concerns about the side effects (26%);
- perceptions that vaccines had been developed too rapidly (12%);
- a desire to obtain natural immunity (10%);
- fear of needles (10%);
- doubts about whether vaccines are effective (8%); and
- being against vaccines in general (7%).
Altogether 70% of respondents residing in the North West have not been vaccinated, while 68% in Mpumalanga and 64% in the Northern Cape have opted against the jab.
The Free State, with 46,1%, has the lowest rate of unvaccinated people, according to the study.
