Knowledge Attitudes and Practices of Students Regarding the Vaccine against Covid-19. Case of Students Living on the University Campuses of the University of Lubumbashi

Introduction: More than a year after its appearance, SARS-CoV-2 continues its global race. Scientists around the world are making rapid progress in developing safe and effective vaccines that will help reduce morbidity as well as mortality from COVID-19. Several vaccines have been developed and vaccination campaigns launched across the world, with hopes of controlling the pandemic. Methodology: We conducted a descriptive study with an analytical aim to contribute to the fight against COVID-19 in the university residences of Lubumbashi. The data was encoded in Excel and exported to Epi info for analysis. Results: Nearly six out of ten students agreed to be vaccinated. The refusal of the vaccine was motivated in 95.24% of cases by post-injection manifestations and in 4.76% of cases by lack of confidence in the vaccine. The post-injection manifestations as well as the confidence in the vaccine are the basis of the refusal to be vaccinated (P = 0.00). Confidence in the vaccine is influenced by post-injection manifestations (P = 0.00). In 66.8% of cases, students always observe barrier gestures, while 33.2% only respect them at their faculty or school. We have observed that nearly three (3) out of ten students consider COVID-19 to be bad luck 13.5% as one of the diseases of dirty hands. Conclusion: This study provides key information related to medical student vaccination in Lubumbashi. In conclusion, we notice that the acceptability of the vaccine against COVID-19 constitutes a public health problem, which is why we recommend that health authorities be able to advocate for awareness and respect for barrier measures.