Hesitation of the Tunisian population to COVID-19 vaccination, and its associated factors

Background: Many people are reluctant to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Aim: To determine the intention to accept COVID19 vaccine and its associated factors among Tunisians. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among Tunisians from December 2020 to January 2021 using an online questionnaire. Factors associated with intention to accept coronavirus vaccine were analysed using multinomial logistic regression. Results: In total, 169 Tunisians participated in our study. The majority were female (85.2%). The mean age was 48.3 ± 11.8 years. Only 33.1% intended to accept to be vaccinated when COVID-19 vaccine will be available in Tunisia and 22.5% were still hesitant. In multinomial logistic regression, participants having high or very high perceived personal risk of COVID-19 infection (aOR:3.257, 95% CI :1.204 – 8.815) were more prone to hesitate to accept COVID-19 vaccine rather than those being willing to accept it. Respondents undergoing seasonal influenza vaccination (aOR: 0.091, 95% CI : 0.019 – 0.433)were less prone to refuse COVID-19 vaccine rather than those being willing to accept it. Young ones aged less than 40 years (aOR: 4.324, 95% CI: 1.180 – 15.843) were more prone to refuse COVID-19 vaccine rather than those being willing to accept it. Conclusion: The acceptance rate of coronavirus vaccination was moderate. Therefore, a good communication and health education at a community level are needed.