JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The COVID-19 pandemic is an additional burden on Lebanon’s stressed population, fragmented healthcare system, and political, economic, and refugee crises. Vaccination is an important means to overcoming the pandemic.

Objective:

Understanding the population’s intentions to vaccinate, and perceptions of and obstacles to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, can inform Lebanon’s vaccination efforts.

Methods:

We performed a cross-sectional study from 29 Jan 2021 to 11 Mar 2021 using an online questionnaire of open- and closed-ended questions in Arabic via convenience “snowball” sampling to assess the perceptions of adults residing in Lebanon.

Results:

1,185 adults participated in the survey. 46.1% [95% CI: 43.2%-49.0%] of survey participants intended to take the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine when available to them, 19.0% [16.8%-21.4%] indicated that they would not, and 34.0% [31.3%-36.8%] were unsure. The most common reasons for hesitancy were concerns about safety, limited testing, side effects, and efficacy. Top motivations for vaccinating were to protect oneself, to protect one’s family and the public, and to end the pandemic. Despite financial hardships in Lebanon, barriers to vaccine access were not frequently described as concerns. Established healthcare facilities, rather than new temporary vaccination centers, were most frequently selected as preferred vaccination sites.

Conclusions:

Vaccine hesitancy appears to be high in Lebanon. Disseminating clear, consistent, evidence-based safety and efficacy information on vaccines may help reduce vaccine hesitancy, especially among the large proportion of adults who appear to be unsure about (rather than opposed to) vaccination.