Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Although many vaccines are in development and clinical trials, and at least seven vaccines have been distributed worldwide, the world has faced a huge challenge in line with the willingness to accept a COVID-19 vaccine in a different country including Ethiopia. However, no study has been conducted on the knowledge, attitudes, acceptance, and determinates of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study was aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, acceptance, and determinants of acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine among the adult population in Ethiopia. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 492 study participants from March 1 to March 15, 2021. A multistage sampling technique was used to recruit study participants. Six skilled and qualified data collectors had participated to gather the data using a pretested structured-administered questionnaire. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to identify factors associated with the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine. P-value <0.05 was considered to indicate statistically significant association. RESULTS: This study revealed that the level of good knowledge, positive attitude and intention to accept the COVID-19 vaccine were 74%, 44.7%, and 62.6%, respectively. Moreover, having an age ≥46 years with an adjusted odds ratio of 2.36 [95% CI, 1.09-5.39], attended secondary and above education adjusted odds ratio 2.59 [95% CI, 1.52-4.39], having a chronic disease adjusted odds ratio of 3.14 [95% CI, 1.21-8.14], and having good knowledge about COVID-19 vaccine adjusted odds ratio 2.59 [95% CI, 1.67-4.02] were significantly associated with COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. CONCLUSION: In this study, the level of good knowledge, positive attitude, and intention to accept the COVID-19 vaccine were 74%, 44.7%, and 62.6%, respectively. Thus, health education and communication from government sources are very crucial methods to alleviate the negative attitude of the COVID-19 vaccine.