Reducing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and improving vaccine uptake in Nigeria

Amenze Eguavoen; Heidi J. Larson; Fejiro Chinye-Nwoko; Toluwanimi Ojeniyi

doi:10.4081/jphia.2023.2290

Authors

Amenze Eguavoen
aeguavoen@nssf.ng
Programs Department, Nigeria Solidarity Support Fund, Lagos, Nigeria. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6341-9998
Heidi J. Larson Department of Infectious Disease and Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom; Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, United States.
Fejiro Chinye-Nwoko Management Department, Nigeria Solidarity Support Fund, Lagos, Nigeria.
Toluwanimi Ojeniyi Programs Department, Nigeria Solidarity Support Fund, Lagos, Nigeria.

By May 30, 2022, there were 526,182,662 confirmed COVID- 19 cases and 6,286,057 deaths globally; of which Nigeria had recorded 256,028 confirmed cases and 3143 deaths. By the same time, Nigeria had received a total of 93.9 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, enough to vaccinate 25% of the population; however, only 27.4 million people (13.3% of the population) had received at least one dose of the vaccine. This article examines available evidence on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Nigeria and makes recommendations for improving its uptake. Major causes of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy identified in Nigeria were concerns around vaccine efficacy and safety, disbelief in the existence and severity of the disease, and distrust of the government. To reduce COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and improve vaccine coverage in Nigeria, mapping vaccine acceptance and hesitancy across geographies and demographics is needed, as well as increased stakeholder communication, and effective community engagement.

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Rights

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Eguavoen, A., Larson, H. J., Chinye-Nwoko, F., & Ojeniyi, T. (2023). Reducing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and improving vaccine uptake in Nigeria. Journal of Public Health in Africa, 14(5). https://doi.org/10.4081/jphia.2023.2290