COVID-19 vaccine uptake and acceptability during the second phase of vaccine rollout: a community-based survey among household heads in Zamfara state, Nigeria, 2021

Introduction Vaccines have played an important role in the control of infectious diseases globally. COVID-19 vaccine was rolled out in Zamfara State for the public in August 2021. We aimed to determine the level of COVID-19 vaccine uptake, acceptance, and awareness in Zamfara state Nigeria, during the second phase of the COVID-19 roll-out in the community. Methods We executed a descriptive cross-sectional study in Zamfara state, Nigeria. We used multistage sampling technique to randomly select 910 household heads between October 12 to December 20, 2021. We used a semi-structured electronic questionnaire to collect data on sociodemographic characteristics, uptake, and acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine. We performed descriptive analysis; calculated frequencies, proportions, and produced tables and figures. Results Our 899 respondents had a median age of 48 years (interquartile range: 29.5-66.5). About 78.1% (711) were males. A majority of the respondents were within the age group 50-59 years. Of 897 respondents 47.2% (423) were educated up to the secondary school level. Only 8.9% (81) had received COVID-19 vaccine. Of the 829 unvaccinated respondents, 10.1% (84) accepted to take the vaccine the current week of the interview, 38.4% (318) would it the following week, and 27.4% (227) the following month, while 12.2% (101) of the respondents rejected the vaccine, Conclusion COVID-19 vaccine had a poor uptake and acceptance rate in Zamfara State during the vaccine rollout. We recommended carefully designed and targeted sensitization campaigns to increase the demand of COVID-19 vaccine in the community. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement This study did not receive any funding ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: Ethical approval was granted by the Zamfara State Ministry of Health. I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors