Misinformation on COVID-19 vaccine and associated factors among residents in Gondar town, Northwest Ethiopia 2022

Abstract

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 on Corona Virus 2019 vaccine, combined with inequitable vaccine delivery around the world, is the bottleneck of the most promising instruments for ending the pandemic. Vaccine confidence and vaccination rates 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. Objective: This study aimed to assess the magnitude of misinformation on the COVID-19 vaccine and associated factors among residents at Gondar town, Northwest Ethiopia. Method: A community-based cross-sectional study was employed from May 8-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 Epi data and transferred into SPSS version 20 for analysis. Descriptive statistics, bivariable, and

multivariable logistic regression analyses were done. An adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% CI was used to determine the association between the explanatory variables and the outcome variable. Result: the proportion of misinformation on COVID-19 vaccine was found (48%). Being male (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 COVID-19 vaccine was found high. Increasing community awareness of the COVID-19 vaccine and clarifying misunderstandings about it through campaigns may help to lessen the tendency for misinformation in the community. Keywords: misinformation, residents, COVID-19 vaccine, Gondar, Ethiopia