As of August 12, Iraq had registered 1.74 million cases of COVID-19 and 19,402 deaths from COVID-19. As of August 6, the country had administered 2.1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
Just over 1% of Iraq’s population is fully vaccinated. As vaccination efforts continue, it is critical to increase people’s confidence in vaccines to ensure they are willing to take the vaccines as they become available. Giving people the information they need to feel safe taking vaccines in a format that is useful for them is key to successfully combatting COVID in Iraq.
CARE Iraq conducted a study with 3,770 people (2,067 men and 1,703 women) in Ninewa and Duhok in mid-July 2021. The data specifically looks at the needs of marginalized people, and covers refugee, internally displaced people (IDPs), returnee, and host communities in several districts in each governorate.
To complement the quantitative data, qualitative data was collected from community focus group discussions and interviews with key health personnel to understand people’s knowledge, attitudes, and practices about COVID-19 vaccines.
This data will inform COVID-19 vaccine promotion campaigns and allow more effective messaging. The study provides critical insights into key messages that are most likely to be useful and effective for people in different demographics and locations.