• Yosor Alqudeimat, Deema Alenezi, Bedour AlHajri, Heba Alfouzan, Zain Almokhaizeem, Saba Altamimi, Waleed Almansouri, Sayed Alzalzalah, and Ali H Ziyab.
• Department of Community Medicine and Behavioral Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Safat, Kuwait.
• Med Princ Pract. 2021 Jan 1; 30 (3): 262271262-271.

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to determine the acceptance of a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine among the general adult population in Kuwait and assess its determinants.Subjects And MethodsA web-based cross-sectional study was conducted by enrolling adults living in Kuwait (n = 2,368; aged ≥21 years). Acceptance of a COVID-19 vaccine was inferred if participants indicated that they "definitely or probably will accept vaccination against COVID-19 once a vaccine is available." Associations were explored by applying a modified Poisson regression to estimate and infer adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI).ResultsIn total, 53.1% (1,257/2,368) of the participants were willing to accept a COVID-19 vaccine once available. Male subjects were more willing to accept a COVID-19 vaccine than females (58.3 vs. 50.9%, p < 0.001). Subjects who viewed vaccines in general to have health-related risks were less willing to accept vaccination (aPR = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.35-0.44). Moreover, participants who previously received an influenza vaccine were more likely to accept a COVID-19 vaccine (aPR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.31-1.58). Willingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19 increased as the self-perceived chances of contracting the infection increased (p < 0.001).ConclusionOverall, 53.1% of the study participants demonstrated willingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19. We found several factors influencing the level of acceptance. Since vaccination appears to be an essential preventive measure that can halt the COVID-19 pandemic, factors relating to low vaccine acceptance need to be urgently addressed by public health strategies.© 2021 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.

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