BACKGROUND
Vaccine hesitancy remains a major barrier to the successful campaign of vaccine programs, including COVID-19, globally. Understanding themes in perceptions among populations regarding vaccine science can aid in improving program implementation as well as potentially reduce socially induced vaccine hesitancy. Social media has been shown to be an increasingly useful tool for rapidly understanding public perceptions regarding public health concerns including vaccine adoption. However, specific themes regarding vaccine perceptions immediately after the COVID-19 vaccine release to the public has yet to be investigated.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to investigate the perceptions surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine among United States, Brazil, and India Twitter users within weeks post vaccine release.
METHODS
We collected Twitter data through Meltwater software using keywords including coronavirus, vaccines, Pfizer-BioTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson/Jassen, AstraZeneca, Novavax, Sinovac-Biotech, Covaxin, Covishield, Sputnik, United States, Brazil, and India in our search query. These keywords were also combined in a Boolean search style (i.e. COVID-19 and Pfizer) to retrieve relevant social media posts on COVID-19 vaccination and vaccines. We used R software to remove usernames, weblinks and other personal information and then the Nvivo 12 statistical software to analyze tweets and draw meanings through a qualitative interpretative approach.
RESULTS
Three key themes related to vaccine perception among 2,858 Twitter posts in the United States, Brazil, and India emerged in our analysis. These themes were mistrust in vaccine science (91.5%), religious push backs (5.4%), and politics of vaccination (3.5%). Several subthemes also emerged from these Twitter data.
CONCLUSIONS
Identifying social implications of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is vital in combating vaccine related misinformation as well as provision of accurate vaccine related public communications regarding vaccine acceptance among populations globally.