Perceptions of and obstacles to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination among adults in Lebanon: a cross-sectional online survey

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic is an additional burden on Lebanon’s stressed population, fragmented healthcare system, and political, economic, and refugee crises. Understanding the population’s intentions to vaccinate, and perceptions of and obstacles to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, can inform Lebanon’s vaccination efforts. We performed a cross-sectional study from 29 Jan 2021 to 11 Mar 2021 using an online questionnaire in Arabic via convenience “snowball” sampling to assess the perceptions of adults residing in Lebanon. 1,185 adults participated in the survey. % [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. 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.