[01] Pavitraa Ramakrishnan, Faculty of Medicine, Manipal University College Malaysia (MUCM), Malacca, Malaysia. [02] Sabrikresha Ravisha, Faculty of Medicine, Manipal University College Malaysia (MUCM), Malacca, Malaysia. [03] Ho Wen Huey, Faculty of Medicine, Manipal University College Malaysia (MUCM), Malacca, Malaysia. [04] Ezzatul Aliyah binti Che Hasan, Faculty of Medicine, Manipal University College Malaysia (MUCM), Malacca, Malaysia. [05] Malisha Dimithri Marasingha, Faculty of Medicine, Manipal University College Malaysia (MUCM), Malacca, Malaysia.

On 31st of December 2019, Wuhan Municipal Health Commission, China, reported a cluster of cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, Hubei Province which was eventually identified as caused by a novel coronavirus, COVID-19. Since then, the disease had spread all over the world until finally, on March 11th 2020, WHO declared the pandemic status of COVID-19, which is also the first pandemic caused by a coronavirus. As the pandemic grows and has taken millions of lives, pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer raced to develop an effective vaccine to control the spread of this infection. However, as the vaccines are developed in such a short time, vaccine hesitancy emerged as one of the biggest challenges to be overcome. A cross-sectional study was conducted among the undergraduates students of Manipal University College Malaysia (MUCM) to study the factors affecting COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among them. An online questionnaire was distributed to all batches in MUCM and a total of 223 responses were accepted. All the data obtained were analysed using Epi Info version 7.1 software. The statistical tests used in this study were Pearson’s Chi-Square test and multiple logistic regression for the measure of association between the selected factors and resulting COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. The findings demonstrated 30.9% of the students are vaccine-hesitant with the majority of them (82.6%) are concerned about the side effects of the vaccine. The attitude towards COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccination was found to have a significant negative association with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy as suggested by OR of 0.83, p-value <0.001, and 95% CI of 0.78-0.89. Students who come from a household with a monthly income of RM 9,619 and less are found to be more likely to be hesitant on getting vaccinated against COVID-19 as compared to those with higher income households (more than RM 9,619). In summary, almost one-third of MUCM students are categorized as vaccine-hesitant in regards to COVID-19 vaccination. The factors found to influence their decision in receiving the COVID-19 vaccine are their household income, their attitudes towards the disease and its vaccination, and their decision to not get vaccinated in the past.

Vaccine Hesitancy, COVID-19, Medical Student, Cross-sectional study, Malaysia

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