One third of Aussies say they won’t get the Covid-19 vaccine, survey shows

A new survey has revealed some startling statistics regarding the Covid-19 vaccine, with almost a third saying they won’t be getting the jab.

The survey, an initiative of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age with research company Resolve Strategic, found that doubts surrounding the vaccine were stronger now than they were in February this year and September last year, before reports emerged regarding a link between the AstraZeneca jab and blood clots.

“The problem is partly the practical access to vaccines, partly a nervousness about side effects and partly a risk judgement about whether they need to be vaccinated given the low risk right now,” Jim Reed, Resolve’s director said, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

According to the findings, 15 per cent of adults surveyed said they were “not at all likely” and 14 per cent “not very likely” to be vaccinated in the months ahead.

Only 14 per cent of total respondents said they were “extremely likely” and 8 per cent “very likely” to take the jabs, with another 13 per cent “fairly likely” to do so.

The survey comes just days after Prime Minister Scott Morrison flagged that the government was considering the next steps towards reopening the country, with talk of quarantine-free travel for those vaccinated a possibility. However, he noted that this will take some time, and any restrictions would be removed in stages.

So far, more than 3 millions Aussies have been vaccinated. “But right now it’s not safe to be flicking the switch on those,” Morrison told reporters on Tuesday, The Guardian reported.

Infectious disease physician Sanjaya Senanayake also weighed in on the discussion, telling Today hosts Karl Stefanovic and Ally Langdon on Tuesday that it’s not a bad concept.

“This would be consistent with what we’re seeing in countries like Germany, where over the weekend, the federal law was passed saying that if you’ve had Covid in the last six months or you’re fully vaccinated — you’re essentially free from restrictions, including being able to travel and not having to quarantine when you come back,” he said, 9News reported. “I don’t necessarily know if we have to go that far. Even though the risk of transmission is reduced with a lot of these vaccines, a proportion still can get infected, so you might need some precautions in already vaccinated travellers.”