Background: Basic vaccinations are essential for child well-being and delaying these vaccines during coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic will lead to vaccine-preventable diseases. This study was conducted to identify the factors that contribute to delay of vaccination during COVID-2019 pandemic and assess the prevalence of participants who have positive attitude towards continuing the vaccination during the pandemic.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted during May 2020 in all regions of Saudi Arabia through a self-administered intent-based questionnaire. Data were acquired from participants who take care of a child from birth to 4 years old, reside in Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire was structured to collect socioeconomic data, child information, vaccination information, and reasons of delaying vaccination schedule during the pandemic.
Results: A total of 820 were included in the study, where 75.6% of participants in our survey had a positive attitude toward completing their childrens vaccination even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants elected not to continue the vaccine comprised 24.4% of the study. The main reasons for vaccine postponement were the fear of getting infected by COVID-19 virus if they visit health facilities (45.1%) and planning to delay
vaccination till the pandemic ends (28.8%). There was a significant association between continuing vaccination during the pandemic and level of education, transportation, and age of the child.
Conclusion: High level of education was strongly associated with continuing vaccination even in a such outbreak. Increasing the awareness will improve the vaccination coverage and prevent the appearance of preventable diseases.
Key words: Vaccination, COVID-19, delay, children, Saudi Arabia
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