Analysis of Covid-19 Knowledge and Vaccine Acceptance Among Agricultural Extension Workers in Katsina State, Nigeria

Abstract:

COVID-19 vaccines were developed for the prevention and control of COVID-19 globally and strong immunity will be developed if most of the world’s population accept and get vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine. However, vaccine hesitancy is a major threat to the control and prevention of COVID-19 in most countries especially the developing countries. The study was carried out to determine COVID-19 knowledge, risk perception and vaccine hesitancy among extension agents in Katsina State, North Central Nigeria. Due to insecurity, 23 local government areas in the state were purposively sampled across the three agricultural zones in the state. Furthermore, all the five village extension agents and one block extension supervisor in each LGA selected was considered to give a total of one hundred and thirty-eight (138) respondents for the study. Descriptive statistics such as percentage and mean, risk perception score, COVID-19 knowledge scale and a Logit regression model were used to achieve the study objectives. Results show that extension agents in Katsina State have a good knowledge of the COVID-19 vaccine and a high-risk perception towards COVID-19. However, due to trust and safety concerns, majority of the extension workers (73.2%) are still hesitant and yet to get a shot of the vaccine. The major determinants of COVID-19 acceptance include age of the extension worker, years of work experience and knowing a person infected by the virus. It can be concluded from the study that the older and more experienced extension workers can be used as a good starting point for launching a program aimed at reducing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among extension workers in Katsina State. The electronic media such as the Radio and Television should be used to produce jingles and skits for educating extension workers on the COVID-19 vaccine. Community and religious leaders should be empowered by the government to help clarify the misconceptions about vaccines that have pervaded communities especially in Northern Nigeria.