Exploring vaccine confidence and uptake of potential COVID-19 vaccines among a cross-section of US healthcare providers and key at-risk subgroups in the rural south

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted deleterious US health inequities. Specifically, African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans have shouldered a greater burden of COVID-19 infections and deaths. Although scientists are working hard to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, it is unknown how healthcare providers and other key subgroups within the US will receive this vaccine. The proposed study will explore perceptions toward potential COVID-19 vaccines among health care providers and key population subgroups. The aim of the study is to: 1) explore the perceptions toward potential COVID-19 vaccines across two distinct points in time among the following subgroups: Health Care Providers (Nurses), 2) Health care providers (doctors), 3) middle-high income populations, 4) rural low-income populations, and 5) urban low-income populations. Perceptions and confidence in potential COVID-19 vaccines will be assessed among the five subgroups via a quantitative survey and qualitative focus groups. Knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions around COVID-19 vaccine provision (providers), acquisition (community members), and overall confidence in COVID-19 vaccines, and trust in medical provider and public health authorities around COVID information will be assessed. Given that this study is exploratory, we will report general findings and will also look for meaningful differences in measures between the groups.

Scholars @ ECU