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Study: Most People Would Receive The COVID-19 Vaccine
Author(s):
Although most people say they will receive a COVID-19 vaccine once it becomes available, 27% were unsure.
The majority of people, 64%, would likely receive a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine when it becomes available, according to a study published in Human Vaccines & Immunotherapies.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused more than 1.48 million deaths and there have been over 63.7 million confirmed cases worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Several vaccines show promise; however, distrust and misinformation has made some people wary about a receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
Data were collected between July 14 and July 17 via a cross-sectional, online survey that was filled out by 1500 adults living in the United Kingdom. Additionally, investigators analyzed the association between the likelihood of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine and factors such as age, race, ethnicity, education, previous influenza vaccination, general vaccine beliefs and attitudes, and general beliefs surrounding COVID-19.
According to the study, although most people said they will receive a vaccine once it becomes available, 27% were unsure whether they would receive the vaccine; however, just 9% stated that they were unlikely to be vaccinated.
"The highly contagious nature of COVID-19 means that once a vaccine becomes available, ensuring a good uptake will play an important role in reducing unnecessary deaths. In order to maximize the uptake of the coronavirus vaccine, campaigns to support vaccination programs overall, including for other routine vaccination programs such as the annual winter flu program, will need to be in place," said first author Sue Sherman, PhD, in a press release.
According to the study authors, high vaccine uptake cannot be assumed for several reasons, including the intention-behavior gap. An example of this would be during the 2009 swine flu pandemic, when uptake of the H1N1 vaccine was poor in many countries, according to the study.
REFERENCE:
Two out of three people would have a COVID-19 vaccine when one becomes available [News Release] November 26, 2020; London, UK. Accessed December 3, 2020. https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-11/tfg-too112620.php.
