COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among unvaccinated individuals in a primary care setting, Pretoria

Overall, participants had a good understanding of COVID-19 disease, but limited knowledge about the vaccine, causing hesitancy to get vaccinated. Reasons for not getting vaccinated included health-related concerns, safety concerns, personal experiences, and social and political factors. Safety and health-related concerns were prevalent, with adverse vaccine outcomes being the most common concern. Most participants had experienced a historic encounter with a vaccine-related death or illness.Contribution: Vaccine hesitancy should be viewed as a powerful concern from the community, and a key source of worry for the health authorities over any vaccine-related doubt.