Perceptions, knowledge and attitudes regarding vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study

INTRODUCTION: The COVID pandemic enhanced the vaccination importance, however, sufficient coverage is hard to achieve, once the immunization rate varies upon vaccinal hesitation, involving several factors. OBJECTIVE: To understand the reasons for adhering to or refusing vaccines, and to prevent new outbreaks/epidemics, of SARS-CoV-2 and other pathogens in Juiz de Fora, knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes toward vaccination were evaluated. METHODS: The study is transversal, quantitative, and descriptive. The sample (n=655) was composed of Juiz de Fora's citizens who answered, anonymously, an online questionnaire provided by the Federal University of Juiz de Fora and the Basic Unities of Health. The perception about efficacy, importance, and safety of vaccines; the accurate knowledge and the ability to recognize fake news about the matter; the main sources to reach information and the determinants of vaccination adherence. A simple descriptive analysis was carried out. RESULTS: The average age of the participants was 32 years old, with the majority being white, female, with a high educational and economic level. There was a high acceptance of the first dose against COVID-19 (98,93%), whereas 97,3% demonstrated an inclination to annual vaccination. The highest rate of incorrect knowledge about vaccination was among the participants with vaccinal refuse (71,43%). The main determinants of vaccinal posture were: information sources, being part of risk groups, comprehension of individual and collective protection, free vaccination, perception about the severity of SARS-CoV-2, and the belief that the collateral effects of the immunizers don't outweigh its benefits. CONCLUSION: Despite the high vaccine acceptance and perception and adequate knowledge about vaccines, vaccine hesitancy was associated with a low ability to detect fake news and lower health literacy in the studied sample. Therefore, public strategies should be considered to monitor anti-vaccine attitudes and further studies to understand the dynamic determinants of vaccination behavior according to the epidemiological context.