Determinants of adherence to COVID-19 vaccine | Fact-sheets collection from the Portuguese COVID-19 pandemic Task Force on Behavioral Sciences

Adherence to COVID-19 vaccine is determined by several cognitive and emotional determinants. Portuguese population has remarkable trust level on vaccines, also explained by a highly favorable public perception of the quality of healthcare public services. However, the process of development, testing and implementation of COVID-19 vaccines (some of them involving new applied health technology) raises concern in important segments of the population. Effective programs for promotion of adherence to COVID-19 vaccine requires communicating easy-to-understand, solid and credible evidence about the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines (at individual and collective levels) and about the safety of these vaccines (at short and long terms). Reducing the number of steps and procedure complexity for accessing the vaccine is also crucial for the adherence to this form of severe COVID-19 prevention.