Assessing acceptability of vaccines and immunisation 

Assessing acceptability of COVID-19 vaccine in Indonesia 

Vaccines are key to prevent and control the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, vaccine hesitancy is a growing problem worldwide, also in Indonesia, and a lot of misinformation on COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines is being spread, which might negatively impact on the implementation of COVID-19 vaccination programmes.

The success of COVID-19 vaccination programmes is dependent on the willingness of the general public to receive the vaccine, but also the attitude of healthcare workers towards COVID-19 vaccines is important. Healthcare workers are key in communication with the general public. Therefore, they need to be highly knowledgeable on vaccine-preventable diseases and vaccination and confident to recommend vaccinations to the public and address their concerns, as well as any misinformation on vaccines and immunisation. Therefore, a research study was initiated between Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia and NESI/University of Antwerp.

The study aimed to evaluate the acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines in two study populations in four different provinces of Indonesia. The survey aimed to understand COVID-19 vaccine acceptability among healthcare workers to receive the vaccine themselves, but also to understand their behaviour in recommending the vaccine to their patients. The survey also assessed the acceptability and perception of the community (especially university students and lecturers) towards COVID-19 vaccines. An anonymous cross-sectional study, using two questionnaires, was conducted online between 23 December 2020 and 15 February 2021.

The results of the study were presented on 10 July 2021 during an online seminar organised by Universitas Padjadjaran in collaboration with NESI. Over 210 participants from different universities and teaching hospitals attended the seminar.

Part of the study results have also been presented at the 15th Elsevier Congress.