Pandemik COVID-19 telah menimbulkan cabaran yang besar, terutamanya bagi warga tua, yang berisiko tinggi mendapat penyakit dan komplikasi yang lebih tinggi. Pemvaksinan telah menjadi langkah kesihatan awam yang penting untuk melindungi kumpulan yang terdedah ini, tetapi keraguan terhadap vaksin masih menjadi kebimbangan. Kajian kualitatif ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis peranan agama dalam membentuk amalan dan proses membuat keputusan warga tua ke arah vaksinasi COVID-19. Temu bual mendalam telah dijalankan terhadap 15 orang warga tua yang berumur 60 tahun ke atas di Malaysia, yang mana kajian ini menggunakan persampelan bola salji untuk menganalisis pendapat daripada kumpulan informan yang menepati kriteria. Terdapat lima tema utama yang terhasil daripada analisis temu bual tersebut iaitu; (i) Agama Islam saran jaga kesihatan dan bertawakal (ii) Ilmuan agama dan ulama terima vaksin (iii) “…Nak pergi Mekah pon kena vaksin…” (iv) vaksin adalah haram dan, (v) makanan sunnah. Dapatan kajian ini menemukan warga tua lebih berhati-hati untuk menerima dos penggalak kedua apabila pengaruh kepercayaan agama memainkan peranan yang penting dalam proses membuat keputusan terhadap vaksin penggalak. Selain itu kajian ini mendapati kepercayaan terhadap ilmuan agama dan ulama yang sangat kuat menjadi faktor yang penting dalam penerimaan vaksin. Kajian ini juga mendedahkan bahawa kepercayaan fatalistik kesihatan juga mempengaruhi amalan warga tua terhadap vaksinasi COVID-19, sekali gus ianya memerlukan sokongan pemimpin agama untuk meningkatkan liputan vaksinasi pada masa akan datang. Justeru itu, memahami pengaruh kepercayaan dan amalan agama terhadap penerimaan vaksin adalah penting untuk membangunkan strategi komunikasi masa depan bagi menggalakkan keyakinan vaksinasi di kalangan warga tua.

Kata kunci: Vaksin COVID-19; maklumat salah; keraguan vaksin; warga tua; peranan agama

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a huge challenge, especially for the elderly, who are at a higher risk of disease and complications. Vaccination has become an important public health measure to protect this vulnerable group, but vaccine hesitancy remains a concern. This qualitative study aims to analyse the role of religion in shaping the practice and decision-making process of the elderly towards COVID-19 vaccination. In-depth interviews were conducted with 15 elderly people aged 60 years and above in Malaysia, for which this study used snowball sampling to analyse the opinions of a group of informants who met the criteria. There are five main themes that emerged from the analysis of the interviews; (i) Islamic religion advises to take care of health and trust (ii) Religious leaders and scholars accept vaccines (iii) "...If you want to go to Mecca, you have to get vaccinated..." (iv) vaccines are haram and, (v) sunnah food. Findings of the study found that the elderly were more careful to receive the second booster dose when the influence of religious beliefs played an important role in the decision-making process towards the booster vaccine. In addition, this study found that trust in religious leaders and scholars is very strong to be an important factor in the acceptance of vaccination. This study also revealed that fatalistic health beliefs will affect the elderly's practice of vaccination against COVID-19, thus requiring the support of religious leaders to increase vaccination coverage in the future. Therefore, understanding the influence of religious beliefs and practices on vaccine acceptance is important for developing future communication strategies to promote vaccination among the elderly.

Keywords: COVID-19 vaccine; false information; vaccine hesitancy; elderly; role of religiosity

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