Facilitators and barriers to COVID-19 vaccination among healthcare workers and the general population in Guinea

Introduction: The advent of the effective COVID-19 vaccine was the most eagerly expected worldwide. However, this hope quickly became hesitation and denial in many countries, including Guinea. Understanding the reasons for low vaccine coverage is essential to achieving herd immunity that will lead to disease control.MethodsWe conducted a mixed cross-sectional survey focused on healthcare workers and the general population in 4 natural regions in Guinea. The study was conducted from 23 March 2021 to 25 August 2021. We used univariate and multivariate logistic regression to identify vaccination-associated factors against COVID-19, backed by classification and regression tree (CART) and thematic content analysis for the qualitative component.ResultsWe surveyed 3547 healthcare workers and 3663 general population members. The proportion of people vaccinated was 65% among healthcare workers and 31% among the general population. For health care workers: the main factors associated with vaccination against COVID-19 were as follows: absence of pregnancy AOR = 4.65 [3.23–6.78], being supportive of vaccination AOR = 1.94 [1.66–2.27] and being an adult AOR = 1.64 [1.26–2.16]. Regarding the general population, the following factors increased the odds of vaccination: absence of pregnancy AOR = 1.93 [CI: 1.01–3.91], being favourable for vaccination AOR = 3.48 [CI: 2.91–4.17], being an adult AOR = 1.72 [CI: 1.38–2.14] and being able to get the vaccine AOR = 4.67 [CI: 3.76–5.84]. Semi-interviews revealed fear, lack of trust, and hesitant perception of the government as potential barriers to vaccination.ConclusionThis study suggests that beliefs and negative perceptions are potential barriers to vaccination against COVID-19 among healthcare workers and the general population. Policies should emphasise practical strategies to mitigate these barriers among young people and pregnant women. Lastly, there is a need to improve access to vaccines in the general population.