Covid-19: Fifth of people likely to refuse vaccine due to safety concerns

The coronavirus pandemic is beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel with four vaccinations in the process of development.

But with rapid progression and approval, some of the British public are doubting the safety of the vaccinations.

But a survey has shown that a fifth of people (20%) are not interested in receiving the vaccine, expressing safety concerns and issues over the exact chemicals going into their body.

A range of reasons were given for rejecting the vaccination from the University College London survey of 70,000 people, including 50% of people believing that the vaccine would cause undetected side effects and 30% of the participants doubting its long-term effects on later life.

Some 38% considered natural immunity to be a much better method of preventing the continuing global spreading of the virus, and 4% of the people surveyed were suspicious of the companies involved in the vaccine, believing that they are producing them for commercial reasons vand profit.

Despite its uncertainty, a higher amount of people (78%) would be keener to have the coronavirus vaccine over the common flu injection. This is promising as the vaccine is seen by Government and health authorities as the only real solution to the end of the pandemic and a return to normal life.

Pfizer/BioNTech, who are producing one of the vaccines, say they have the necessary safety data required by regulatory bodies, while early trial results published in The Lancet for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine show it is safe and works well in older adults.