Fear of side-effects putting some people off having COVID-19 jab

Fear of side effects and whether vaccines have been sufficiently tested are the main reasons people are resisting getting vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a new survey.

Confidence in COVID-19 vaccines and health authorities is highest in the United Kingdom, while it is lowest in Japan and South Korea, said the survey conducted by Imperial College London in collaboration with YouGov.

The report, based on data from an international survey of 15 countries, shows almost nine in 10 people in the UK, or 87 percent, said they trusted the vaccines, while in South Korea and Japan it was just 47 percent.

Not being offered the vaccine they preferred or worries around whether vaccines are effective enough, were among other concerns expressed by respondents.

The survey was carried out between March and May, and included more than 68,000 people from Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, the UK, and the United States.

In terms of confidence in their health authorities, UK respondents had the highest, with 70 percent, while South Korea had the lowest, with 42 percent.

There was also a variation seen in trust with vaccine brands, with confidence in the Pfizer and BioNTech jab being highest across all age groups in nine of the 15 countries.

The report said trust in the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine had declined since March due to publicity over side-effects. Trust in all brands was lowest among respondents in the US.

In a statement, Ara Darzi, the co-director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London, said: "Effective COVID-19 vaccination programs are about demand as much as supply, and this global survey reveals important insight into why people might not put themselves forward to take one if offered.

"It's vital that leaders listen to these concerns and address them with urgency so that more people will be willing to accept these lifesaving vaccines."

The survey found that in 13 of the 15 countries, more than 50 percent of people had confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines.

Project co-lead Sarah Jones said: "Our program has been tracking people's attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines since November, and it's encouraging to see that trust has steadily been climbing.

"However, our findings show that there is still much work to be done to reassure the public of the safety and effectiveness of coronavirus vaccines. We hope that sharing the concerns people have raised will spur timely and targeted responses from governments that will inform and educate the public about the importance of vaccination."