Factors Associated with COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy among a Rural Sample in Benue State, Nigeria

A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Considering the level of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Benue State as evidenced by the people’s low turn-up for vaccination, this study explored the factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among a rural sample in Benue State. The study employed a qualitative design, and a total of 16 participants were purposively sampled for the study. In-depth interviews were used for data collection. Thematic analysis was used for data analysis. Three main themes emerged from the results of the study: religious factors, political factors, and contextual factors. It was revealed that COVID-19 vaccines were regarded as ‘mark of the devil’ and as weapon of destruction of Africans by the western countries. Other factors include perceived less severity of COVID-19 and less vulnerability to the disease. The study recommends that interventions geared towards clearing the misconceptions about COVID-19 vaccination should involve religious leaders like pastors, reverend fathers, and imams to help educate their followers about the importance of COVID-19 vaccination and the falsehood about conspiracy theories regarding COVID-19. Traditional rulers and other influential people in the communities should also be involved for the purpose of persuading their subjects to take COVID-19 vaccination.