Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. 18 February 2021. As the Caribbean rolls out COVID-19 vaccines, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) launched a survey on 17 February to obtain views on the COVID-19 vaccines of people living in the Region and to determine their willingness to be vaccinated.
“There is a growing concern about vaccine hesitancy. The World Health Organization (WHO) identified vaccine hesitancy as one of the ten global health threats the world faces in 2019 and beyond, in its five-year strategic plan.
In the Caribbean, recent studies conducted to determine acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccines reported that vaccine hesitancy ranged from 62% to 32% among adult populations of several Caribbean countries. In order for vaccination programmes to be successful, there must be wide uptake, acceptance, and trust of COVID-19 vaccines,” stated Dr Joy St John, CARPHA Executive Director.
The CARPHA COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance Survey, which has received ethical approval, aims to assess the beliefs and opinions of Caribbean residents, about COVID-19 vaccines and the potential barriers to acceptance of these vaccines. This information will help to inform regional public education vaccine campaigns to address concerns, build trust and understanding, and engage and empower the public.
CARPHA is working with several public health partner agencies including the Ministries of Health and the Regional Health Communication Network (RHCN) to launch the survey in-country.
Persons are encouraged to complete the survey by using the link provided here https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CARPHA_COVID-19_Vaccine_Acceptance_Survey. The survey is also accessible on all CARPHA’s social media platforms including Facebook from Wednesday 17th February 2021.