Level of Awareness of Selected Residents of Lucena City on the Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccines

The World Health Organization (WHO) classified Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) as a "pandemic" in early March 2020. Globally, unprecedented steps are being taken to combat the outbreak's formidable spread. People's commitment to preventive actions is largely influenced by their awareness of the disease, preventive measures, and the effectiveness of vaccines. This study aimed to assess the level of awareness of the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine among the selected residents of Lucena City. A community-based survey was conducted using a self-developed structured questionnaire that was selectively distributed online through Google Forms for selected residents (age 18-65 years) of Lucena City for feedback. The collected data were analyzed using the weighted mean. Among 300 participants, 52.7% were students, 62.7% were female, and 70.0% were aged 18-29 years. Majority of respondents (87.3%) were vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine. More than half of the respondents (58.8%) received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine with a booster shot. There is an increasing need for innovative local measures to increase general community awareness of COVID-19 vaccines and their preventative practices to reach herd immunity. Educational activities are urgently needed to reach the targeted residents, and further actions are required to reach them.