Covid-19 Vaccination Uptake Among Remote Communities In Malaysia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

A novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) epidemic outbreak started in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, in December 2019 and subsequently spread globally with a 3.4% mortality rate of 87,137 confirmed cases as of March 1, 2020 and currently in February 16, 2024 it caused 0.9% mortality rate of 703,305,215 nationwide confirmed cases [1,2]. The coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19, was named the disease by the World Health Organization (WHO) and poses a significant threat to public health, including Malaysia. The virus’s global spread was attributed to sustained human-to-human transmission, leading to exported cases worldwide and WHO announced it as a pandemic on March 11, 2020 [1,3,4]. It is a newly discovered novel strain of coronavirus detected on December 31, 2019 [1]. Utilising the angiotensinconverting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor, like SARS-CoV, the virus predominantly spreads through the respiratory tract [5]. Clinical symptoms exhibited by COVID-19 patients included fever, cough, fatigue, and, in some cases, gastrointestinal infection symptoms [6]. Vulnerability to infection and a propensity for severe outcomes, such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and cytokine storms, were observed notably in the elderly and those with underlying diseases [7]. The SARS-CoV-2 was initially treated as secondary and tertiary prevention under the level of disease prevention aiming for early diagnosis from prompt, optimised and sustained care, rehabilitation, and disability prevention [8]. Subsequently, when the virus characteristic was established the prevention level focused on primordial and primary prevention, including the health education, health promotion, new vaccine development and immunisation [8].