Perception towards COVID-19 and its Vaccination: Acceptance and Concerns among the General Population of Sargodha, Pakistan

The ongoing COVID-19 havoc has put a strain on the whole world particularly affecting developing countries like Pakistan. This study is focused on examining people's perceptions regarding attitudes, knowledge, acceptance and concerns of COVID-19 and its rushed approved vaccine. A quantitative research study was conducted among the general population of Sargodha which were present at government approved vaccination centers. A total 470 questionnaires were distributed and received 400 filled in return. A 27-item valid questionnaire was developed. The IBM SPSS version 25 Software was used for the statistical analysis. Descriptive statistics have been applied thus frequency and percentages were documented against each item. Additionally, the chi-square test was used to examine the relationship between knowledge, attitude, habits, acceptability, and concerns among sociodemographic groups. This study shows majority was below 25 years of age 35% and 42.3% were holding a graduate degree. The study reveals that 60.5% males were present at vaccination centers followed by 66% participants belonged to Sargodha. About 47.5% considered social media as preferred medium on providing information related to COVID-19 and its vaccination. About half of the participants 45.5% agreed that COVID-19 vaccine will be useful in protecting them against COVID-19 infection. Approximately half of participants 45.5% showed their concern regarding the rapid and quick approval of COVID-19 vaccine. In conclusion, the general public of Sargodha demonstrated an overall adequate knowledge and good perception towards COVID-19 and has accepted its vaccination and only showed their concern on the rapid development of its vaccination.