To take or not to take: determinants of student’s preparedness to take Covid-19 jabs in Ghana

Abstract

The decision to take Covid-19 jabs is a critical concern in the midst of the pandemic. The study examined the determinants of students‟ preparedness to get vaccinated. The quantitative approach guided the explanatory research design to obtain data from 230 University of Cape Coast students who were randomly selected for the study. Although students have knowledge about the vaccines via television and radio stations, the study concluded that a larger proportion of them have not taken the jab. The overarching reason was the side effects of taking the vaccine. Students shared similar attitudes toward taking the Covid-19 vaccine regardless of their sociodemographic characteristics and differences. The study depicted that taking the jab was based on fair distribution of vaccines across region and preference for local medication. The study recommended that the Ghana Health Service should mount more vaccine centres closer to students‟ residents to promote easy accessibility.