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The discovery of several effective vaccines against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) offers a way out of the global pandemic which has already claimed more than 2.79 million lives out of more than 127 million. infections around the world.
The success of global vaccination will depend on the achievement of herd immunity, either by individuals acquiring immunity through vaccination or through infection. As immunization efforts expand in many countries, reluctance to immunize remains a problem. However, researchers at the Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London, have found that the number of people wanting to be vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease (COVID-19), has increased considerably. .
The study, which appeared on the pre-print server medRxiv *, aimed to examine the general public’s willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccines and their safety concerns.
COVID-19 vaccination
More than a year after the start of the pandemic, many vaccines have received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from Drug Administrators in various countries.
Previous studies have shown that up to a third of the population may be resistant to the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.
People’s willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine
The researchers aimed to examine respondents’ willingness to be vaccinated. The team also analyzed respondents’ perceptions of vaccine safety and whether their government would conduct mass immunization.
The researchers also compared changes in attitude to get vaccinated between November 2020 and January 2021. They also collected nationally representative cross-sectional data from 15 countries. These include Canada, Australia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, Norway, Spain, South Korea, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
The team found that across the 15 countries, the proportion of people who said they would receive the COVID-19 vaccine rose from 40.7% to 55.2%. Meanwhile, the number of people who were worried about vaccine side effects fell from 53.3% to 47.9%.
When the team conducted a second survey, they found that willingness to receive the vaccine remained low among women, those aged 18 to 39, the unemployed, students and people with children at home.
Women, people between the ages of 18 and 64, those who are employed, those who do not work and those who have children at home remain concerned about the safety of the vaccine.
“Reluctance to the COVID-19 vaccine has declined dramatically over a relatively short period of time coinciding with the discovery of effective vaccines,” the team noted in the study.
“The public remains concerned about their safety and public health messages should emphasize their safety, especially among women, parents and young adults,” the authors added.
A person’s perception of the safety of COVID-19 vaccines is a good predictor if they would be ready to be tricked. Another factor that may influence vaccine reluctance is the rapid nature of COVID-19 vaccine research.
Overall, the study looked at the general public’s willingness to receive a vaccine, which has grown steadily over time. As immunization efforts have started, it is essential to focus on health education and education. People need to understand the importance of getting vaccinated to protect themselves against SARS-CoV-2.
The researchers hope that more people will be willing to be vaccinated. The more people are protected, the easier it will be to get back to normal. Collective immunity is essential to contain the spread of the current pandemic.
The authors conclude: “Our results underscore that the general public’s willingness to receive a vaccine increases over time and that population subgroups that may need to be targeted with tailored public health messages about the benefits and safety associated with receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Although in several countries the willingness to be vaccinated has increased significantly, in half of the countries studied, in many population subgroups, less than half would have a vaccine. More than half were concerned about the side effects. More data is needed to understand attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines in low- and middle-income countries, especially those in South America, the Middle East and Africa. Follow-up surveys will need to be conducted in these and other countries to monitor long-term changes in public attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccine if the goal of herd immunity is to be achieved ”.
*Important Notice
medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports which are not peer reviewed and, therefore, should not be considered conclusive, guide clinical practice / health-related behaviors, or treated as established information.
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