COVID-19 Vaccine: Newspaper Coverage of the side effects of the vaccine in Nigeria

Abstract Background: COVID-19 Vaccine hesitancy is increasing globally, and this threatens the world ability to bring the pandemic under control. The way the media reports on the vaccine may influence or affect how the population perceive the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. Methods: The aim of this study was to determine how newspapers in Nigeria report stories about the vaccine and the side effects of the vaccine amidst the growing fear on the safety of the vaccine. A total of 4 national daily newspapers were randomly selected for the study. These are Leadership, Guardian, Nation and Punch newspapers. The study was anchored on agenda setting theory. Quantitative content analysis research was used for the study. The duration of the study was the day the vaccine was introduced in Nigeria: March 1st,2021 to July 31st, 2021. An Excel sheet served as the instrument for data collection and analysis done using SPSS version 25 with the level of significance predetermined at a p-value less than 0.05. Results: Key findings from this research were: Government officials and technical experts were predominantly used by the newspapers as the source of their information. There was a mixed reporting of vaccine side effects with a significant difference between those newspaper publications that reported vaccine side effects and those that did not. Amongst those that reported side effects, there was also a significant difference between those that communicated how and where to report the side effects as against those that did not. Conclusion: As part of the effort to curtail vaccine hesitancy, a continuous improvement in communicating the vaccine efficacy and safety is needed. Keywords: coverage; side-effects; newspaper, COVID-19; vaccine Nigeria;