The Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccine: A Global Rapid Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Vaccination seems to be the most effective way to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19, a disease that has been playing havoc with the lives of over 7 billion people across the globe. Vaccine hesitancy is probably the most common problem worldwide. This study aims to inspect the COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates worldwide among the general population and healthcare workers. In addition, it compares the vaccine acceptance rates between the pre-and post-vaccine approval periods. Method: A systematic search was conducted on April 25, 2021, through PubMed, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and GOOGLE SCHOLAR databases using PRISMA and MOOSE statements. Q-test, and statistics were used to search for heterogeneity, and Eggers's test and funnel plot were applied to assess the publication bias. The random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled acceptance rates of the COVID-19 vaccines. Results: The combined COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rate among the general population and healthcare workers (n=1,581,562) was estimated at 61.74%. The vaccine acceptance rate among the general population was 62.66% and the rate among healthcare workers was 57.89%. The acceptance rate decreased from 67.21% to 53.44% among the general population and remained constant among healthcare workers during the pre and post-vaccine approval periods. The acceptance rates also vary in different regions of the world. The highest acceptance rate was found in Western Pacific Region (67.85%) and the lowest was found in African Region (39.51%). Conclusion: Low COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rate might be a massive barrier to getting rid of the pandemic. More researches are needed to address the responsible factors influencing the global rate of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. Integrated global efforts are required to remove the barriers.