COVID-19 has posed massive challenges related to health, economy, and the social fabric of the entire human population. To curb the spread of the virus, the Government of Pakistan initiated a vaccination campaign against COVID-19. The objective of this research was to assess the factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine acceptance or hesitancy. The data were collected telephonically using a cross-sectional survey design through a close-ended structured questionnaire from a sample of 1325 vaccinated and non-vaccinated individuals with a response rate of 38%. SPSS v. 26 was used to analyze the data. The study revealed that 73% of the respondents were male, half in the 40–49 age group, 78% living in urban areas, and 45% had a monthly income between 20,001–50,000 Pakistani rupees. People felt reluctant to get vaccinated because of myths and misinformation related to it. The socio-demographic factors including male, age 60–69, middle or higher level of education, marital status, currently employed, from middle socio-economic status, living in urban areas, high access to mass media, history of influenza vaccination, physical activity, and perceived good health status were significantly associated with COVID-19 vaccination uptake. Concerted efforts are needed to achieve vaccine targets for the broader population through understanding and identifying barriers to vaccination.

Objective High maternal and neonatal mortality rates in developing regions like Pakistan are linked to low rates of institutional deliveries. One way to improve rates of institutional deliveries is through improving institutional delivery service satisfaction in women. The aim of this research is to identify which factors influence delivery service satisfaction during the period of COVID-19 and which socio-demographic characteristics of women are associated with greater fear of catching COVID-19 during institutional deliveries. Methods A total of 190 women who had given birth between May to June, 2020, were sampled from two private and two public sector hospitals in Lahore, Pakistan. A standardized tool was modified for use and a combination of descriptive statistics and multivariate regression was applied. Results The results reveal that a majority of women, at 74.7%, are afraid of contracting COVID-19; specifically, women delivering at public hospitals, those who are illiterate or semi-literate, with more than four children, with low household income, and who are unemployed. Regression models are used to identify factors related to higher satisfaction, including the following: (i) pre-delivery care (explanatory power of R² = 0.651); (ii) during delivery care (R² = 0.716); (iii) after delivery care for women (R² = 0.525); and (iv) after delivery care for newborn (R² = 0.780). The main areas which influence satisfaction include the following: service quality of staff and administration; maintenance of hygiene and sanitation; involvement in decision-making; provision of necessary information; and advice for breastfeeding, immunization and family planning. Conclusions for Practice Based on our findings, we recommend improved regulation of delivery services in both public and private hospitals and increased protection for disadvantaged women groups to maintain service quality during the pandemic.

One of the models that could be used to understand the adoption of vaccine uptake is the Health Belief Model (HBM). The aim of this study is to assess the role of HBM constructs and Perceived Health Status (PHS) on the vaccination status of individuals and to understand the role of socio-demographic variables on HBM scoring. A comparative cross-sectional telephone survey was conducted among 1325 vaccinated (60.0%) and non-vaccinated (40.0%) individuals aged 40 years and above in July 2021 in Punjab province, Pakistan. A higher level of education was the strongest predictor of positive HBM. All constructs of HBM, PHS and cues-to-action were significant predictors of COVID-19 vaccination uptake, with perceived benefits as the strongest predictor. In order to expand the vaccination coverage, double-pronged interventions utilizing both information and communication technology and human resources should be designed that address each barrier perceived by individuals and understandably communicate the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination to the broader population.

One of the models that could be used to understand the adoption of vaccine uptake is the Health Belief Model (HBM). The aim of this study is to assess the role of HBM constructs and perceived health status (PHS) on vaccination status of individuals and to understand the role of socio-demographic variables on HBM scoring. A comparative cross-sectional telephone survey was conducted among 1,325 vaccinated (60.0%) and non-vaccinated (40.0%) vaccinated individuals aged 40 years and above in July 2021 in Punjab province, Pakistan. A higher level of education was the strongest predictor of positive HBM. All constructs of HBM, PHS and cues-to-action were significant predictors of COVID-19 vaccination uptake with perceived benefits as the strongest predictor. In order to expand the vaccination coverage, doubled pronged interventions utilizing both ICT and human resources should be designed that address each barrier perceived by individuals and understandably communicate the benefits of COVID-19 vaccine to the broader population.