Most Initially Hesitant People Eventually Received COVID Vaccine

ISLAMABAD: (Web Desk) – Most people who were initially hesitant to receive a COVID-19 vaccine eventually got vaccinated, according to a new England-based study published Tuesday in The Lancet. The research highlights that widespread vaccine scepticism can be addressed over time through reliable information and increasing access.

The study analyzed over a million questionnaire responses collected between January 2021 and March 2022. Initially, around eight percent of respondents were hesitant to get the COVID jab when vaccines were still new and mostly tested in clinical trials. By March 2022, only one percent remained hesitant.

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Nearly two-thirds of those who were initially sceptical went on to receive at least one dose, with the most likely to change their minds being individuals worried about vaccine effectiveness or potential health impacts. However, people with low trust in institutions, pharmaceutical companies, or vaccines in general were more likely to remain hesitant.

“Most COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was rooted in concrete concerns that can be addressed and successfully overcome with time and increasing availability of information,” said study co-author Paul Elliott of Imperial College London. Italian researchers Claudia Palmieri and Silvio Tafuri noted that the findings could inform strategies to improve uptake of routine vaccines, including those for measles and influenza.