Older people are ‘more likely’ to have virus jab
Older people are more likely to have a coronavirus vaccination, new figures suggest.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) say 98% of adults aged 70 and over would be “very likely or fairly likely” to take up an offered vaccine – compared to 81% of people aged between the ages of 16 and 29.
Overall, 89% of respondents said they would be very likely or fairly likely to have the vaccine if offered – but 5% say they would be “very or fairly unlikely to have it”.
The figures also show that one in 100 people said they had already declined a jab – about half a million adults.
The figures come after the ONS analysed responses from 4,492 people between January 13 and 17 as part of its Opinions and Lifestyle Survey to understand the impact of Covid-19 on society.
It says it will xamine attitudes to vaccination among different groups of the population in more detail.
Among people who said they were unlikely to take the jab, the most common reason was being worried about potential long-term effects on their health (43%).
A similar proportion (42%) were worried about potential side effects, and 40% said they wanted to wait to see how well the vaccine works.
Around a quarter (26%) said they do not think it will be safe.
Before approval, the vaccines underwent a testing process set by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.
The NHDS say reports of serious side effects, such as allergic reactions, have been very rare, and no long-term complications have been reported.