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Table 4 Themes, codes, and illustrative quotations about COVID-19 and vaccination

From: An assessment of Veterans attitudes and willingness to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine: a mixed methods study

Theme I: Barriers to COVID-19 vaccination

Speed of development

“But the only reason why I’m skeptical is because of how quickly they came out with the vaccine.” [#6]

Risk of side effects

“…but if I’m not feeling it then why put myself through the getting the [COVID-19] shot, and having a day where you don’t feel so great… why put my body through the stress?” [#3]

 

“If 6 months down the line they [other people] are experiencing headaches, or there’s anything degenerative in their overall health that wasn’t there prior to taking the COVID vaccine. Are they experiencing things that they think may be attributed to receipt of the vaccine?” [#5]

Theme II: Decision making for receiving or not receiving the COVID-19 vaccine

Deliberation

“They might come out with a better vaccine, but you can’t have both of them… The better one then, I would have to wait some more I guess to see if it works.” [#1]

 

“Again, here I am skeptical and hesitant. And I don’t know which one to take, number one. I don’t know which one would be better for me. The Pfizer might be good for you. The Johnson might be good for [name]… There’s a variety; all three of them gives you a choice of which one to take. But how do I know which one is best for me? … I just don’t know what to do…which way to go. I’m undecided, and I don’t know what particular criteria to use to make a choice.” [#4]

Active postponement

“…the vaccine is tricky, that’s why I haven’t taken a shot yet…I want to wait and see what it’s going to do to other people in 3 months—6 months…” [#1]

 

“They want me to take it…I told them I will when I feel comfortable with it, but—not too soon and I don’t need to be in the first wave of people taking it.” [#3]

 

“…until they make it mandatory, and I have the choice, I am going to wait. Nothing personal to the people who have created these vaccines. Or to the doctors that recommend it, or to you, your staff, anyone. I am just not sure.” [#4]

 

“Well, it could be forever—I may decide that I don’t want it at all. But at this point I am open because at the early stages of the pandemic announcement my daughter was sick, and she was sick for 28–29 days and it really did her bad. So, I know that it is real, but I don’t know if I’m ready to subject myself to the vaccine.” [#5]

Theme III: Use of COVID-19 vaccination as a tool of racism

 

“… I’m speaking from a black perspective—most of my friends… and a lot of black people are afraid that there might be two different vaccines out there. One that is geared toward White Americans and one that is geared toward Black Americans. A lot of people are afraid that thing administered to African Americans might not be the same thing that they are administering to White Americans and it could have an adverse effect on African Americans.” [#5]

Theme VI: Cues to Action

Repercussions of not getting vaccinated

“You can do more if you got a shot than somebody can do if they don’t get the shot. It’s almost like let’s vilify the person that’s not gonna get it. And the people that do get it, they’re good.” [#10]

 

“… the state or the government would have to regulate it to say that they had to have that [the COVID-19 vaccine]. They’re not going to say, “Hey, you, you have to go get your shot”. They’re just going to say, “You need this shot if you’re going to continue work.” [#2]

 

“I’m open to it. I’m open to see. But it has to be something that’s going to be convincing to me. That it’s necessary. And that if I don’t take it, it’s going to cause repercussions in some kind of way, that’s going to require me to have to take it. Otherwise, I don’t be able to do z-y–z, or I won’t be able to see my grandchildren; I won’t be able to go back to church; or I won’t be able to go to the store anymore.” [#4]

Peer or social network influence

“Cause if I voice my personal opinion to a so-called friend to how I feel about it [the COVID-19 vaccine] then our friendship is ruined.” [#9]

 

Well, every now and then I’ll go online… but… I’m more concerned about people that I actually know; how their faring after taking it…those are the people I’m going to really rely on—folks that I see and talk to on a regular basis.” [#5]