Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to assess the hesitancy of the medical and paramedical students to the COVID-19 vaccine and possible causes for this hesitancy.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional, survey-based study conducted among the students of Fakeeh Colleges for Medical Sciences (FCMS), which is a private college in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from February 1, 2023, to February 28, 2024, for 12 months. All FCMS undergraduate students were randomly invited to participate.
Results: A total of 354 students were included in this research, with the majority (68.6%) aged 18-24 years and over half (56.5%) being female. Most participants were from the Medicine (71.2%) program, with the highest representation in Year 4 (20.9%). Finally, when assessing self-rated COVID-19 knowledge, the largest group rated it as good (38.7%). Further, 33.3% had a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19. Over half (51.7%) had been in confirmed close contact with a COVID-19 case. Regarding influenza vaccination history, only 19.5% reported regular annual vaccination. Among the 268 participants who accepted COVID-19 vaccination, the most frequently cited reason was belief in vaccine safety (38.8%). In contrast, among the 46 participants (13%) who were hesitant or refused vaccination, the primary reason was insufficient information about the vaccine (45.7%). No association was found between hesitancy and demographic characteristics of the participants, health, COVID-19 exposure, and prior vaccination history.
Conclusion: Hesitancy was not a big problem for medical and paramedical students in Saudi Arabia. This hesitation was not associated with any of the variables examined.

Key words: COVID-19, Corona virus, vaccine, medical students, paramedical students, hesitancy, Saudi Arabia