The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) on Wednesday launched a survey to gauge the views of the region’s citizens on the COVID-19 vaccination campaigns and their willingness to be vaccinated.
“There is a growing concern about vaccine hesitancy. The World Health Organization (WHO) identified vaccine hesitancy as one of the ten global health threats the world faces in 2019 and beyond, in its five-year strategic plan. In the Caribbean, recent studies conducted to determine acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccines reported that vaccine hesitancy ranged from 62% to 32% among adult populations of several Caribbean countries. In order for vaccination programmes to be successful, there must be wide uptake, acceptance, and trust of COVID-19 vaccines,” Dr Joy St John, CARPHA Executive Director, was quoted as saying in a release issued by the agency yesterday.
The release explained that the CARPHA COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance Survey, which has received ethical approval, aims to assess the beliefs and opinions of Caribbean residents, about COVID-19 vaccines and the potential barriers to acceptance of these vaccines. This information will help to inform regional public education vaccine campaigns to address concerns, build trust and understanding, and engage and empower the public.
