Background: Vaccination is a critical tool to help control the COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, there was an urge for a different company to find a different strategy to develop a safe and effective vaccine for COVID-19 (defined as different generic types).
Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the acceptance of the Saudi community toward mixing different generic types of COVID-19 vaccine.
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using an online survey in Saudi Arabia from 19 October to 22 November 2021. A convenience sample of eligible participants was used to recruit the study participants. A total of 3486 responders from different regions in Saudi Arabia were included in the final analysis. Participants were invited to participate in this study through social media (Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram). The study sample were invited using a survey link. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software, version 27 (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY, USA). Categorical variables were reported as frequencies and percentages
Results: The participants' characteristics in our study showed that 69.9% were female, and 57.8 % had bachelor's degrees. Besides, our study showed that 76.3% of the participants received the same generic type of vaccine in the first and second doses. In addition, 43.7% of the study participants were neutral or unsure about the general concept of mixing different generic types of COVID-19 vaccine due to the safety issue. Similarly, 47.6% of the responders in this study denied accepting the idea of mixing COVID-19 vaccines because of the fear of health problems. However, 80.9% of the responders referred to the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia as the primary source of information about COVID-19 vaccination.
Conclusions: Our data indicate that the Saudi population is concerned about receiving two generic types of COVID-19 vaccine. However, the fear would be resolved if they obtained enough evidence-based research or direct communication about the safety and minor side effects of "mix and match" of different generic types of COVID-19 vaccine. Therefore, it is recommended that the Ministry of Health use health care providers and other platforms such as social media to increase the awareness and attitude of the Saudi community toward different generic types in the COVID-19 vaccination program.
