Acceptance and Perception of COVID-19 booster vaccination in Selangor, Malaysia

Background: In the early stages of the 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the COVID-19 vaccine was compulsory to control the spread. However, the emergence of various SARS-CoV-2 variants or declining antibody levels has highlighted the significance of the COVID-19 booster dose in sustaining protection. This study was conducted to assess the acceptance and perception of COVID-19 booster vaccination among Selangor residents. Methods: An online survey was conducted among the general population of Selangor state. A multivariate analysis was conducted to assess the association between the perception, acceptance, and sociodemographic factors. Results: In a total of 668 responses, 278 (41.6%) agreed to accept a COVID-19 booster vaccination. However, acceptance dropped to 25.89% when the respondents consider on the acceptance with perception. The result shows that being Malay, working in government sector and perceived benefit to COVID-19 booster vaccination will increase acceptance for booster vaccination. However, as a degree holder and respondents perceived barriers reduce, the acceptance of COVID 19 booster vaccination. The result of acceptance of booster vaccination with respondents’ perception shows that people who aged 50 years and above and perceived benefit has higher acceptance, however when the respondents perceived barriers to get the booster vaccination the acceptance for booster vaccination was lower. Conclusions: The acceptance of COVID-19 booster vaccination was exceptionally determined by ethnicity, education, occupation, age, perceived benefit, and perceived barriers. The government should emphasize the importance of receiving the COVID-19 booster vaccination among Malaysians to prepare for potential challenges posed by new COVID-19 variants in the future.