COVID-19 vaccine acceptance is increasing around the world

Adam Barnes

Story at a glance

  • The authors noted the most common forms of hesitancy stemmed from mistrust in the science and effectiveness and safety concerns.

  • Other common reasons for hesitation were rooted in personal experience.

  • The authors warned that although some countries are moving away from some mitigation measures, the pandemic is not over, and vaccination campaigns should continue.

COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rose globally during 2021 even during a time of uneven vaccine distribution, according to a new study published earlier this week.

For the study, researchers surveyed more than 23,000 individuals across 23 countries, finding vaccine acceptance rose by 3.7 percentage points from the year earlier to 75.2 percent in 2021.

The authors noted the most common forms of hesitancy stemmed from mistrust in the science and effectiveness and safety concerns. Other common reasons for hesitation were rooted in personal experience, like sickness.

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Researchers found a particular country’s mortality rate and caseload were not related to its level of hesitancy. Vaccine hesitancy was reported most frequently in Russia and Nigeria in June 2021 and least frequently in China and the U.K.

But researchers said support for vaccine mandates varied widely and often depended on context.

“In order to improve global vaccination rates, some countries may at present require people to present proof of vaccination to attend work, school, or indoor activities and events,” CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy Senior Scholar Jeffrey Lazarus said in a statement.

“Our results found strong support among participants for requirements targeting international travelers, while support was weakest among participants for requirements for schoolchildren.”

The authors warned that although some countries are moving away from some mitigation measures, the pandemic is not over, and vaccination campaigns should continue.

Researchers at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH), the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Dalhousie University and the University of Calgary were involved in the study published in Nature Communications.

World Health Organization data shows that more than 12 billion vaccines have been administered globally as of July 6.

Currently, around 222 million people in the U.S. are fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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