Awareness, Perception and Acceptability of the Covid-19 Vaccine in Two Contrasting Settings in Imo State

A vaccine provides the best hope for a permanent solution to controlling the pandemic. Several coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines are still under scrutiny. However, to be effective, a vaccine must be accepted and used by a large majority of the population, who has the right perception and awareness. This study investigated the awareness and acceptability of COVID-19 vaccine in addition to the perception towards coronavirus vaccine among the public. This study carried out a cross sectional survey during the period of June-September 2021, data was collected from 400 individuals aged 18 years and above in the Rural and Urban Areas of Imo State. Results revealed that the awareness level of respondents in the urban area was high (63.5) and was low in the rural Area (27%). The perception level of the rural and urban settlers was relatively low, where the rural had more negative perception (76%), but the both settings had positive perceptions of (31.2%). In consideration to the 4-point Likert scale used, the mean score point of their perception is highest in the urban area (3.5 out of 4). Acceptability rate was low in the two contrasting settings; with only 117 (29.3%) accepting the vaccine in the study area. The rate of acceptability of the vaccine is much lower among the rural respondents. Public health interventions should take the form of reviving the trust in national health authorities and structured awareness campaigns that offer transparent information about the safety and efficacy of the vaccines.