Nikesh KapadiaCOVID 19 Vaccine HesitancyCOVID 19 Vaccine HesitancyIntroductionBackgroundThe COVID-19 Pandemic has resulted in nearly 4 million deaths (Machingaidze & Wiysonge,2021). Vaccination efforts are attempting to stem the tide of COVID infections and deaths.Vaccines for COVID-19 have been recognized as important in preventing transmission of thedisease and mitigating risk of acquisition of COVID-19 infection in the scientific literature andby numerous public health organizations (Machingaidze & Wiysonge, 2021).However, the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines has been hampered by vaccine hesitancy, which hasbeen defined as the “delay in acceptance of, or refusal of, vaccination despite the availability ofvaccination” (MacDonald, 2015).Vaccine hesitancy models have traditionally defined “5 Cs” ofdeterminants of an individual’s vaccine hesitancy: confidence, complacency, convenience (orconstraints), risk calculation, and collective responsibility (Machingaidze & Wiysonge, 2021).These were derived from the “3 Cs” model of vaccine hesitancy: confidence, complacency andconvenience (MacDonald, 2015). Confidence refers to trust in the systems of vaccine deliveryand the vaccine itself, complacency refers to the belief that the vaccine is not worth taking forprevention of disease, and convenience refers to lack of constraints on the physical delivery ofthe vaccine such as affordability, health illiteracy etc.My goal is to identify trends and patterns in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy that fall within thismodel. I will focus on the State of Florida. I will attempt to identify patterns and trends withregards to confidence and complacency, primarily by focusing on political leanings and vaccinehesitancy, social determinants and literacy, self-reported reasons for hesitancy. This research is tohelp understand vaccine hesitant people in Florida in order to better care for them and addressgaps in Florida’s system in dealing with vaccine hesitant people.Questions
