Misinformation on COVID-19 Vaccine and Its Associated Factors among Residents in Gondar, Ethiopia, 2022

Abstract

Introduction. In the year 2019, a new strain of severe acute respiratory syndrome emerged in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, causing a new pneumonia outbreak. Misinformation about the coronavirus 2019 vaccine, combined with inequitable vaccine delivery around the world, is the bottleneck of the most promising instruments for ending pandemic. Vaccine confidence and vaccination rate can be affected by misinformation. The majority of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation has been on vaccine development, safety, and effectiveness as well as COVID-19 denial. Hence, this study is aimed at assessing the magnitude of misinformation on the COVID-19 vaccine and associated factor among residents in Gondar, Ethiopia, Method. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from May 8 to June 10, 2022, among 844 residents in Gondar town. A multistage cluster sampling method was employed to select study participants. An interview-administered questionnaire was used to collect the required data. The data were entered using EpiData 4.6 and transferred into SPSS version 20 for analysis. Descriptive statistics and bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were done. An adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% CI was used to determine explanatory factors associated with misinformation on the COVID-19 vaccine. Result. The proportion of misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine was found to be 48%. Being male ($\text{AOR}=1.48$, 95% CI: 1.03, 2.13), vaccination status (AOR: 7.37, CI: 4.59, 11.83), history of COVID-19 (AOR: 0.21, CI: 0.5, 0.78), health self-efficacy (AOR: 0.6, CI: 0.42, 0.86), perceived severity (AOR: 1.47, CI: 1.02, 2.12), knowledge towards COVID-19 vaccine (AOR: 1.85, CI: 1.28,2.67), and attitude towards COVID-19 (AOR: 1.9, CI: 1.32, 2.76) vaccine were significant factors associated with misinformation on COVID-19 vaccine. Conclusion and Recommendation. The overall proportion of misinformation on the COVID-19 vaccine was found at 48%. Increasing community awareness of the COVID-19 vaccine and clarifying misunderstandings about it through media campaigns may help to lessen the tendency for misinformation in the community.