Abstract

CASTILLO-SANTANA, Esmailyn et al. Barriers to immunization in the Dominican Republic and COVID-19. Vaccimonitor [online]. 2021, vol.30, n.3, pp. 96-104.  Epub Dec 01, 2021. ISSN 1025-0298.

In recent years, the Dominican Republic has experienced a significant reduction in vaccination coverage; cases of tetanus and diphtheria that have recently emerged are a result of this situation. In order to identify barriers to immunization and determine the impact of COVID-19 on vaccination adherence, 2,584 Dominicans completed an online survey on personal vaccination history and reasons for not getting vaccinated. In addition, they answered questions about the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine and the influence of the pandemic on their perception/adherence to vaccination. Most of those surveyed were not vaccinated during the pandemic, the main reason being: "I had no vaccination scheduled for this year." This indicates that even though the pandemic made it difficult to access vaccination services, this was not the main barrier to immunization in the Dominican Republic in 2020. Despite the fact that most of the participants are in favor of vaccination, of the vaccines included in our study, the only one that reached the goal of the Global Vaccine Action Plan of achieving 90% vaccination coverage by 2020 was measles, mumps and rubella in children. The main barrier to immunization is forgetting to get vaccinated. It is necessary to adopt an effective reminder system to increase adherence and improve immunization rates.

Keywords : vaccines; immunization; pandemics; COVID-19.

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