Knowledge, Perception, and Uptake of Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination among Nigerian Civil Servants: Implications for Evidence-Based Policies

Abstract

Background: In 2021, some state governments in Nigeria made it compulsory for all civil servants to get vaccinated against COVID-19.  Subsequently, the federal government adopted this policy which was met with mixed reactions. This study assessed knowledge,  perception, willingness to be vaccinated, uptake, and determinants of full vaccination among Nigerian civil servants.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 622 civil servants from Ministries across the six geopolitical zones  and the Federal Capital Territory using selfadministered structured questionnaires. Ethical approval was obtained from the National  Health Research Ethics Committee and analyses done using IBM SPSS v.26.

Results: The mean age of the respondents was 41.6 ± 9.1 years with most respondents (486; 78.1%) having good knowledge of COVID-19.  Two-fifths (252; 40.5%) agreed that there should be no blanket policy for mandatory vaccination. Most of the respondents  (463; 74.4%) had been vaccinated and about two-fifths (269; 43.2%) had been fully vaccinated while about a quarter 146 (23.5%) had not  been vaccinated at all. Of those (n=159) who had not been vaccinated or were unwilling to disclose their status, the majority 116 (73.0%)  were unwilling to be vaccinated. Respondents with a good knowledge of COVID-19 achieved full vaccination status (p = 0.007).  

Conclusion: Since the majority of the respondents who are Nigerian civil servants had a good knowledge of COVID-19 and had been  vaccinated, this study recommends that the government continues its health promotional campaigns towards improved uptake of  vaccination against COVID-19 in the populace.