Thesis:

Determinants of covid-19 vaccine uptake among healthcare workers in lower juba region, Jubaland state, Somalia: a multi-factorial analysis of sociodemographic, behavioral, and policy influences

The world was faced with the COVID-19 pandemic that initially began as pneumonia of unknown origin in China and later spread global. The vaccination programs initially targeted those in the high-income nations and those that were manufacturing. It was later cascaded to low- and middle-income nations. Decades of war have undermined Somalia's health services, which were further exacerbated by the corona virus pandemic that struck the country along with other countries. Despite the COVID-19 various vaccines availability, the general public and, strangely, medical professionals seemed reluctant to get the shot. This has made the task of achieving herd immunity difficult. Several studies done across the world have shown higher acceptance rates in the high- income nations as compared to Sub Saharan Africa countries. This study set out to assess and determine the factors that contribute to healthcare professionals' adoption of the COVID-19 vaccine in the Lower Juba Region of Jubaland State, Somalia. In order to characterize, examine, and pinpoint the elements that influence vaccine uptake and the characteristics that motivate healthcare personnel in the lower Juba region of Jubaland state, Somalia, tThe research study employed a quantitative descriptive design. The research targeted the healthcare workers in lower Juba region with 189 participants sampled from a population of 359 HCWs. Stratified and quota sampling methods were used. The sampled population completed an online questionnaire to acquire primary data. The data was collected and keyed in a Microsoft computer excel sheet and later analyzed for descriptives and inferential using SPSS version 21. All the tests for significance were conducted with two tails, and the threshold for statistical significance was set at P less than 0.05. There was a vaccination coverage rate of 46.6% overall. Males made up 51.5% (52) of the vaccinated group, whereas 55.1% (49) received the astrazeneca vaccine and 52.8% (47) received two doses. There was statistically significant variation in vaccine uptake among different age groups (p=0.002). However, the observed variations in COVID vaccination uptake by gender, education, and job experience were not statistically significant, according to regression analysis. The participants' decision to have a COVID vaccination was influenced most by their belief in the vaccinations' ability to protect them (61.5%) and their influence from friends and family (55.1%). According to this study, about half of the participants had received the COVID-19 vaccine. Fear from punishments and government were said to have negatively affected vaccine uptake but this was not statistically proven. Increasing vaccine trust, enlisting the help of friends and family, and making vaccinations easily accessible are all considered strategies to increase vaccination uptake. As indicated by majority of the respondents, the most used and trusted media platform was the information from peers and Source verified platforms were indicated to be least trusted. Social media users had the highest vaccination rates (OR= 2.44). Finally, it is recommended that a similar study with a large sample size be carried out to determine the exact associations of these variables with vaccine uptake and also generalize the results to inform policy changes.