Vaccine reluctance drops among young – but rollout is stalling
RESISTANCE to the coronavirus vaccine among young people is dwindling, according to a survey from the Office for National Statistics.
Figures show that just 5 per cent of people aged between 18 and 21 are reluctant to get the vaccine, down from 9 per cent a month before.
Hesitancy also dropped from 10 per cent to 9 per cent among 22 to 25-yearolds. The latest iteration of the ONS survey looked at public opinion towards the jab rollout between June 23 and July 18 – a day before freedom day.
The Government last week launched a campaign designed to get more young people jabbed, with a specific focus on reaching people via social media.
There has been an increasing need for people to get vaccinated in order to travel and attend certain events.
However, there is still some work to be done as ONS figures show one in nine 16 and 17-year-olds – who are now eligible to get a vaccine – have some reservations.
The Daily Telegraph reported at the weekend that a lack of uptake among young people has seen the UK’S vaccine rollout stall and fall behind European nations such as France and Ireland.
Less than 70 per cent of under-30s have had their first dose and for the week ending Aug 1, just 94,145 people in this age group got a jab – the lowest weekly figure since May 11.
Analysis suggests that at that rate of 1.1 per cent of eligible young adults getting jabbed every week it would take until Oct 8 for 80 per cent of under-30s to be vaccinated.
The first healthy 16 and 17-year-olds in the UK received their jabs on Friday, two days after the JCVI gave the green light for the vaccination programme to be extended to them.
Most areas of Great Britain have seen a reduction in vaccine hesitancy, the ONS said, but the most hesitant groups are in London and the Midlands.
Some 15 per cent of young adults aged between 16 and 29 in the West Midlands reported vaccine hesitancy in the latest survey period.
The ONS said its data involved 15,433 people aged 16 and above in England, Scotland and Wales.
Overall, more than nine in 10 adults (96 per cent) reported positive sentiment towards coronavirus vaccines while 4 per cent reported hesitancy – figures unchanged from the previous findings which covered May 26 to June 20.
Dr Nikki Kanani, deputy lead for the NHS vaccination programme, said: “The vaccine remains the single best defence against Covid and whether you have been eligible for some time, or are a newly eligible 16 or 17-year-old, I would urge you to come forward and take up the evergreen offer of a vaccine in order to protect yourself and your loved ones.”