c. Ability to work independently and as part of a team. d. Experience in quantitative and qualitative data collection. e. Demonstrated evidence of skills in critical analysis and good report writing. f. Good oral and written communication skills. g. Have good computer skills and knowledge of online platforms and mobile applications. 6. DELIVERABLES Deliverables Due Date % of Amount Research proposal completed and submitted to relevant ethics committee 03 March 2022 20% Status report on the progress of research, and preliminary findings of the situation analysis 02 May 2022 30% Draft report of research findings 10 June 2022 20% Final report of the consultancy to include report of the situation analysis, research report and recommendations for increasing vaccine in older adults in Jamaica 17 June 2022 30% 3 7. TIMELINE OF THE CONSULTANCY The consultancy will be for the period 21 February 2022 to 17 June 2022 8. REMUNERNATION The consultant is required to submit each deliverable and an invoice for payment as per the schedule set out in Section 6. The deliverable will be reviewed by the supervising officer (s) and once it is approved, the consultant will be paid the agreed amount. 9. REPORTING RELATIONSHIP The consultant reports directly to the Advisor, NCDs and Mental Health, and Focal Point for Immunization and FPL, and will work collaboratively with the National Consultant – Immunization. 10. EVALUATION CRITERIA Criteria Maximum Score Qualifications as evidenced by the CV presented 20 Evidence of quantitative and qualitative research competency 20 Quality of methodology 30 Quality of work plan 30 Application should be submitted no later than 5:00 pm, Monday, 14 February 2022 to: Consultancy: Research - COVID-19 vaccine uptake among older adults in Jamaica PAHO/WHO Jamaica Represen The Risk Seems Too High”: Thoughts and Feelings about COVID-19 Vaccination Ramey Moore 1 , Don E. Willis 1 , Sumit K. Shah 2 , Rachel S. Purvis 1 , Xochitl Shields 2 and Pearl A. McElfish 1,* Citation: Moore, R.; Willis, D.E.; Shah, S.K.; Purvis, R.S.; Shields, X.; McElfish, P.A. “The Risk Seems Too High”: Thoughts and Feelings about COVID-19 Vaccination. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 8690. https://doi.org/10.3390/ ijerph18168690 Academic Editor: Zahid Ahmad Butt Received: 18 June 2021 Accepted: 10 August 2021 Published: 17 August 2021 Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). 1 College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Northwest, 1125 N. College Avenue, Fayetteville, AR 72703, USA; rameymoore@uams.edu (R.M.); dewillis@uams.edu (D.E.W.); rspurvis@uams.edu (R.S.P.) 2 Office of Community Health and Research, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Northwest, 1125 N. College Avenue, Fayetteville, AR 72703, USA; sshah3@uams.edu (S.K.S.); xshields@uams.edu (X.S.) * Correspondence: pamcelfish@uams.edu; Tel.: +1-(479)-713-8680; Fax: +1-(479)-713-8670 Abstract: The purpose of this study was to describe the thoughts and feelings of individuals expressing concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine. A qualitative descriptive study was conducted in order to examine the thoughts and feelings of participants who are hesitant about the COVID-19 vaccine. Data were collected from 754 participants using an online instrument. Emergent themes included a lack of knowledge about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine; concerns over the speed of development, testing, and approval of these vaccines; reluctance to be among the first vaccinated; concerns about the motivations of government actors, pharmaceutical companies, and others involved in producing the COVID-19 vaccine; and hesitancy about vaccines generally. Keywords: COVID-19 vaccine; vaccine hesitancy; vaccine attitudes; Increasing Vaccination Model 1. Introduction Vaccines provide prophylaxis against a wide range of infectious diseases and are responsible for saving a significant number of lives over more than two centuries [1]. Promising preliminary results have also reported the effectiveness of therapeutic vaccines in the treatment of pre-cancerous and cancerous conditions [2]. Despite these achievements, vaccine hesitancy and vaccine refusal disrupt public health efforts in safeguarding populations against vaccine-preventable conditions [3]. The current COVID-19 pandemic has affected populations globally. The spread of COVID-19 infection and recurring surges in the number of new cases and deaths have caused catastrophic social and economic impacts around the world [4]. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 32 million cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in the United States (US) [5]. During the pandemic, more than 80 governments restricted travelers from other countries [6], and nationwide lockdowns affected the quality of life for millions [7]. Vaccines designed to protect against COVID-19 were developed in an unprecedentedly rapid period of time, facilitated by advances in vaccine technologies [8].