Religious Justification as a Contributor to Vaccine Hesitancy in Older African Americans: Qualitative Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic in the USA.

Older African Americans experienced disproportionately high rates of morbidity and mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, scientists and researchers made little effort to understand the factors contributing to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among these individuals. Research finds that older African Americans are generally highly religious and often use religion to inform their health decisions. Using the Religious Coping Theory, the purpose of this study was to analyze the interview data of 22 older African Americans to examine religious justification as a contributor to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. A semi-structured interview protocol was used to collect data from vaccine hesitant older African Americans in the USA. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis and inductive coding. Salient themes included: (1) I Have not Been Led, (2) God's Medicine, and (3) The Pandemic is Divine Punishment. Findings suggest that religious beliefs can influence the health decisions of older African Americans, despite COVID-19 vaccine recommendations. Some forms of vaccine hesitancy may be overcome through partnerships with religious leaders and accurate information on the COVID-19 vaccine.