Fears and misconceptions toward COVID-19 vaccination among Syrian population: A cross-sectional study

Mohamad Klib; Munir Ghandour; Osama Alazki; Ayman I Nabhan; Fatima A Idres; Homam Alolabi; Majd S Khaddour; Jaafar Zahlout; Farah Albakkar; Hasan M M Hamoud; Hasan N Al Houri; Bana Z Alafandi; Data Collection Group

doi:10.1002/hsr2.1426

Fears and misconceptions toward COVID-19 vaccination among Syrian population: A cross-sectional study

Health Sci Rep. 2023 Jul 12;6(7):e1426. doi: 10.1002/hsr2.1426. eCollection 2023 Jul.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Medicine Damascus University Damascus Syria.
² Internal Medicine Department Damascus University Damascus Syria.
³ Faculty of Medicine Tishreen University Latakia Syria.
⁴ Faculty of Medicine Al Andalus University for Medical Sciences Tartus Syria.
⁵ Faculty of Medicine AL-Baath University Homs Syria.
⁶ Faculty of Medicine Syrian Private University Damascus Syria.
⁷ Faculty of Medicine University of Aleppo Aleppo Syria.
⁸ Faculty of Dentistry University of Kalamoon Deir Atieh Syria.

Abstract

Background and aims: Despite the significant milestone of vaccine discovery, the spread of misinformation and pseudoscientific claims has resulted in an increasing number of people refusing vaccination in Syria. In this study, we aimed to explore fears and misconceptions towards COVID-19 vaccines among the Syrian population.

Methods: We conducted a nationwide cross-sectional study between January and May 2022, using a convenience sample of 10,006 participants aged at least 18 years and living in Syria. We administered a validated online/paper questionnaire and conducted face-to-face interviews. We used SPSS software (version 26) for statistical analysis, assessing our data using frequency and χ ² tests, with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant.

Results: The majority of the participants were female 6048 (60.4%), university degree holders 7304 (73%), and from urban areas 8015 (80.1%). Approximately half of the participants 5021 (50.2%) belonged to the medical sector (49% had concerns about the vaccine). Females, university degree holders, and participants with a history of symptomatic COVID-19 were more likely to have fears about the vaccines. The main concerns about the vaccines were the rapid development, fears of blood clots, and common side effects. The prevalence of some misconceptions was relatively high, such as the belief that the vaccine is an experiment or a secret plan to reduce the population. Reliable sources are crucial to fight misleading information on social media.

Conclusion: COVID-19 vaccine is key to controlling the spread, but acceptance rate is critical. High variability in vaccine acceptance and high vaccine hesitancy can affect the efforts to terminate the COVID-19 pandemic. Addressing the barriers associated with the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination will be the cornerstone to achieving maximum vaccination coverage. It is important to consider the reasons for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine when interpreting the results of any study on vaccine attitudes among the Syrian population.

Keywords: COVID‐19; Syria; effectiveness; fear; side effect; vaccine; vaccine acceptance.