One in five adults ‘ are likely to shun new vaccine’

A FIFTH of people in the UK say they are unlikely to get a coronavirus vaccine if one is approved, a study highlighting “concerning” levels of misinformation has found.

Three- quarters of 17,500 adults surveyed by University College London ( UCL) researchers said they would be “likely” to get vaccinated, with 49 per cent saying they were “very likely” to do so.

But 22 per cent said this was unlikely, and one in 10 said this was “very unlikely”, with factors including worries about unforeseen effects, preferences for natural immunity, concerns about commercial profiteering, and mistrust of vaccine benefits.

Almost one in three showed substantial beliefs that vaccines can cause unknown future problems, while 15 per cent said they believed to varying degrees that vaccines do not work.

The study authors said their findings suggest there is a substantial and worrying level of misinformation among the public and highlight fears that “lack any basis in fact”.

UCL’s Covid- 19 Social Study, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, is the UK’s largest study into how adults are feeling during lockdown. More than 70,000 people have been questioned weekly over the past 26 weeks.

Lead author Dr Daisy Fan court, from UCL’s Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, said: “Our study highlights a concerning level of misinformation around vaccines, which could significantly affect uptake once a Covid- 19 vaccine is approved.”

She said it was “critical” the importance of vaccines is highlighted.