Uneven geographies of vaccine manufacturing in the Global South: assessing the relations between research & development and global equity
Social and Cultural Anthropology and Ethnology
Final Report Abstract
Public health authorities and other stakeholders around the world have faced considerable challenges in finding effective ways to engage in a constructive dialogue about concerns, fears and anxieties that undermine confidence in a potential COVID-19 vaccine to control the spread of the disease. Thus, this study sought to understand views from participants regarding trust in COVID- 19 vaccination efforts to contain the spread of the disease in Ghana. Further, the study explores the impact of vaccine controversies an human behaviour and the social dynamics that underpin the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines in Ghana. This was an exploratory study using qualitative research approach where in-depth interviews were conducted with community members, opinion leaders and health workers in three administrative regions in Ghana. Purposive sampling technique was used to select participants. The data was coded using QSR Nvivo 12 software to aid thematic content analysis. Our results showed that many participants were aware of the covid-19 pandemic and vaccines developed to control the disease. However, a good number of community members believed that the disease was not real. Perceived death, sexual weakness, infertility and blood clotting resulting from covid-19 vaccines were reported by most participants as the main misconceptions they had heard regarding covid-19 vaccines. The believe that covid-19 vaccines were developed to kill Africans in order to reduce the population within the sub-region was also reported. Closely related to this was another ulterior motive by the local government to use the covid-19 vaccines to kill people with the main aim of reducing the depopulation. Views shared by both community members and health workers suggested that there was low uptake of covid-19 vaccine in Ghana. Factors such as lack of education, religious and cultural beliefs, safety issues as weil as misconceptions contributed significantly to low uptake of covid-19 vaccines according to participants. However, participants recommended effective and continuous community sensitization as key strategy to improve uptake of covid-19 vaccines in Ghana. Conclusion: Based an the interpretation of our data, several factors including misconceptions significantly affected acceptability and uptake of covid-19 vaccines in Ghana. This should be a worrying trend thus, the need for stakeholders and health authorities to take appropriate steps to address the situation is highly recommended to improve uptake of vaccines including Covid-19 vaccines developed to control the pandemic.
Publications
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More-than-national and less-than-global: The biochemical infrastructure of vaccine manufacturing. Economy and Society, 52(1), 9-36.
Jensen, Nele; Barry, Andrew & Kelly, Ann H.
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A Manufacturing Solution for Africa or Circumventing Capacity?
Beisel, Uli
