Covid19_Vaccination_PONE-D-24-17728.dta

The objective of this study was to analyze COVID-19 vaccine coverage and attitudes related to vaccine acceptability and rejection among migrants in transit through Mexico in six migrant shelters during the third and fourth waves of the pandemic and the most intense phase of the vaccination campaign from November 2021 to May 2022. All shelter users were invited; 2,355 completed the survey. Sociodemographic, migration, and health characteristics were crosschecked with vaccination status. To complement the survey, semi-structured interviews with migrants and decision-makers explored perspectives regarding vaccination. Most migrants (61.1%) had ≥ 1 COVID-19 vaccine doses. Factors associated with vaccination were education, country of prior residence, history of COVID-19 (OR = 1.370 [95% CI, 1.081 – 1.737]), and history of a COVID-19 test (OR = 4.790 [95% CI, 3.825 - 5.999]). Among unvaccinated respondents, 81.4% reported vaccination willingness. High acceptability may be explained by perceptions that the vaccine is “a protection against COVID-19 complications or death”, and a “requirement for movement between countries […].” Only 7.2% rejected the vaccine due to disinformation: “[…] what if that liquid contaminates me […]?” Future informational campaigns should address doubts about vaccine availability, safety, and travel requirements among unvaccinated migrants.<br>