Knowledge, attitude and perception of the public towards COVID-19 vaccine in UAE

Background: The Corona virus pandemic spread across the globe in 2019, alarming the world due to the virus’s elevated severity and the emergence of its new strains. Vaccination became a necessity to combat the pandemic, however, there is still hesitancy among the public to accept vaccines. This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude and perception of the public towards the COVID-19 vaccine in the UAE. Methods: We assessed the readiness and willingness of the public to take the vaccine. Our data was collected using a cross-sectional study. The study was conducted during the period of February 2021 to May 2021 to collect data on the readiness of the population to take the COVID-19 vaccine. Results: We received 392 responses, and two thirds (250, 63.8%) were females, non-Emirati (374, 95.4%), and with a bachelor degree (263, 67.1%). Slightly more than half (211, 53.7%) reported being frightened of the pandemic. The majority (388, 99%) of the participants know the precautionary measures, but only 313 (79.8%) are committed to the measures and 159 (40.6%) think the available vaccines are safe. There was not a dominant response by the survey participants on whether the vaccine should be compulsory or not. Long-term safety (115, 29.3%), side effects (109, 28.8%), and thinking not at a high risk were the main concerns that prevented some respondents from taking the vaccine. Around 40% of the participants took two doses of various vaccines, but similar percentage of participants do not plan taking the vaccine. Conclusions: Government priorities should be directed toward increasing general public interest in the vaccine, as well as raising awareness regarding the general public’s concern about the pandemic and vaccination program.