KNOWLEDGE AND PERCEPTION OF COVID-19 VACCINE AMONG DENTAL STUDENTS IN CHENNAI- A QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY

Abstract

Introduction COVID-19 is caused by a novel beta coronavirus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SAR-CoV2). The first case was found in Wuhan, China. Vaccination has been made available to the Indian public. CO- corona, VI-virus, D- disease 19-2019 is the complete association of the name COVID-19. At the start, COVID-19 in India occurred due to the abroad connection instead of transmission within the country.

Aim The aim of the present study is to assess the perception of the COVID-19 vaccine among dental students.

Materials and methods A survey to assess the perception toward the vaccine was conducted online through a questionnaire and 100 responses were collected among 1st-year dental students. Data were entered in Microsoft excel sheet after collection and was analyzed using SPSS software. Descriptive statistics were expressed by means of number, frequency, and percentage. A Chi-square test was used to find the association between year age and gender with a number of responses provided by the participants.

Results 38% of the study subjects were willing to get vaccinated in the present study.  The majority had a neutral i.e., not complete acceptance or disregard of the vaccine.  Females were more likely to get vaccinated with 42% compared to males with 11%. with a statistically significant difference.( p <0.05,).

Conclusion The willingness to get vaccinated among the present study subjects was relatively low, while the majority reported having a positive attitude towards the vaccination, they are still hesitant regarding the vaccine.