Why Does COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance Rate Remain Low Among Patients with Chronic Diseases? Evidences from Public Hospitals of Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Elders and patients with chronic diseases are more vulnerable to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. In Ethiopia, these groups of people are given vaccination priorities amongst others. However, there is limited information on the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine among patients with chronic diseases. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine and associated factors among patients with chronic diseases visiting public hospitals in West Guji zone (Ethiopia). METHODS AND MATERIALS: Facility-based cross-sectional study was employed among 408 chronic disease patients visiting two public hospitals in Ethiopia from September to October 2021. Data was collected using structured questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression was computed to identify factors associated with acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine. Independent variables with p-value less than 0.05 were considered statistically significantly associated with the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine. RESULTS: The acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine among patients with chronic diseases was 39.5% (95% CI: 35–44). Factors positively associated with the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine were age ≥40 years (AOR = 2.84; 95% CI: 1.53–5.28), urban residence (AOR = 0.6; 95% CI: 0.38–0.95), having upper respiratory tract infection (AOR = 1.32; 95% CI: 1.03–2.8), previous COVID-19 infection (AOR = 2.1; 95% CI: 1.22–3.47), having health insurance (AOR = 2.55; 95% CI: 1.23–5.28), those not drinking alcohol (AOR = 1.95; 95% CI: 1.24–3.06), those not chewing Khat (AOR = 2.01; 95% CI: 1.27–3.2), and having good knowledge (AOR = 1.55; 95% CI: 1.03–2.87) and positive attitude (AOR = 2.05; 95% CI: 1.26–3.33) towards the vaccine. CONCLUSION: The overall proportion of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance is low among patients with chronic diseases. Therefore, to improve the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine, the government and health professionals should provide continuous health education.