Prevalence and Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among the Ethiopian Population: A Systematic Review

INTRODUCTION: Although vaccination is the most effective way to end the COVID-19 pandemic, there are growing concerns that vaccine hesitancy may undermine its effectiveness. In Ethiopia, vaccine hesitancy forms a major challenge to the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines. This systematic review examined the prevalence and determinants of the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among the Ethiopian population. METHODS: A systematic search of articles was conducted in PubMed, EBSCO, Google Scholar, and Semantic Scholar. Studies that evaluated the prevalence and determinants of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Ethiopia were included. The identified determinants of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy were analyzed based on the frequency of occurrence in the included studies. RESULTS: The overall COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy level in the Ethiopian population ranged from 14.1% to 68.7%. The high COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy rate observed in this study was due to contextual factors, individual factors, and vaccine-specific factors. Young age, female sex, living in rural areas, lack of adequate information, and lower education are the most common contextual determinants of the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Lack of awareness about the COVID-19 vaccine, low risk of COVID-19, poor adherence to COVID-19 prevention strategies, and negative attitude towards the COVID-19 vaccine are the most frequently reported personal factors. Common vaccine-specific determinants of COVID-19 vaccine hesitation are the side effects of the vaccine and doubts about its effectiveness of the vaccine. CONCLUSION: Our review showed that COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy remains highly prevalent and varied across regions of Ethiopia, with a wide variety of factors associated with it. Potential interventions on the benefits of vaccination and the adverse effects of vaccine rejection are crucial to enhance COVID-19 vaccine uptake among the Ethiopian population.