Attitudes toward COVID-19 Vaccination among Malaysian Residents in the First Half of 2021: An Internet-Based Study.

Objective: Vaccination is an effective strategy to reduce the burden of COVID-19. The purpose of this study was to determine the level of acceptance rate towards COVID-19 vaccine among Malaysians. Methods: An online questionnaire was distributed to 599 respondents via convenience method among Malaysians aged 18 years and above. Results: Out of 599, acceptance rate was 89.2% with majority of the respondents were female (68.4%), aged between 20 to 29 and 30 to 39 years (30.2%), married (57.4%), Muslim (61.1%), Selangor residence (34.3%), bachelor's holder (63.3%), non-health worker (53.1%), and healthy individuals (59.9%). The most likely reason for refusal of taking COVID-19 vaccine was due to the long-term effect of vaccine (49.6%), gender (p = 0.017) and occupation (p = 0.038) of the respondents were found to be significantly associated with the likelihood of taking the COVID-19 vaccine. Discussion: Despite the high acceptance rate, it is still vital to address concerns among the vaccine's sceptics by establishing faith in the vaccine's safety and effectiveness through proper vaccine information. Conclusion: The findings showed that Malaysians have a high level of acceptance for the COVID-19 vaccine.