A third of Canadians want to hold off on getting an eventual vaccine for COVID-19, new survey results show — and vaccine experts warn that while the skepticism comes from a “legitimate” place, it could derail efforts to protect society’s most vulnerable from the virus.
For months, governments around the world have imposed lockdowns and travel bans, shuttered schools, and blocked visitors from hospitals and long-term care homes, all in the name of slowing transmission of the new coronavirus.
But most members of the medical community agree widespread uptake of an eventual vaccine is what’s needed for the COVID-19 pandemic to finally fizzle out.
“We’re not going to return to normal the minute a vaccine is approved,” said researcher Matthew Miller, an associate professor at McMaster University’s department of biochemistry and biomedical sciences.
“We’re only going to return to normal when the vast majority of the population is immune to the virus.”
So will enough Canadians agree to get vaccinated to make that happen?
Survey results released on Tuesday from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute found half of Canadians say they have no reservations and are ready to get a COVID-19 vaccination as soon as it’s available.
But 32 per cent — roughly a third of respondents — say they’d likely wait a while. Another 14 per cent don’t want to get a vaccine at all.
Concerns about possible side effects
The findings were based on a survey conducted between July 23 and 24 among a representative randomized sample of 1,519 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum, an online panel.
Ève Dubé, a medical anthropologist and researcher on public health and vaccination at the Quebec National Institute of Public Health, said for the small portion of people who are routinely anti-vaccine, it can be “really hard to change their minds.”
Then there’s typically a larger group of people who are somewhat hesitant to get vaccinated. In the case of a potential COVID