Vaccine acceptance

Even though the countdown has begun for the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine, there are concerns that the distribution and immunisation program could run into bottlenecks. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has already warned that the next challenge for governments will be convincing everyone to get the jab while maintaining social distancing measures. 

According to a social media survey carried out by the Health Promotion Bureau (HPB) recently, only 54% said they would get the COVID vaccine if offered and 8% said they would never get the vaccine. Given that the sample size was only 895 Sri Lankans, this could be seen as a statistic that does not accurately reflect the sentiments of the larger population but it does highlight the challenges that the Government may face when rolling out the vaccine to the general public after the initial trial runs.

WHO in December issued a handbook that calls on policymakers to take steps to address reservations harboured by populations. These include factors such as the convenience of location and time, associated costs, and the quality of the experience of being vaccinated.

Making vaccines easily accessible in safe, familiar and convenient locations, such as “drop-in” clinics that are near where people often go, can also encourage uptake, the report said. It added that governments should have targeted, credible and clear communication from trusted sources demonstrating that getting vaccinated is important, beneficial, easy, quick and affordable.

Health systems must also be prepared to reduce barriers to supply, service delivery and quality of services, in addition to ensuring that health care and community workers are well trained and well supported.

According to a global survey done of 15 countries by the World Economic Forum, India has the highest vaccine acceptance rate of 87%, followed by China (85%), South Korea (83%) and Brazil (81%). Sri Lanka’s numbers are on par with that of France. However, the number of people willing to get jabbed has increased as the number of vaccine rollouts has risen, indicating more people can be convinced if Government address concerns.

For Sri Lankan respondents the top concerns regarding the vaccine were brand, side effects and allergies, and the duration of protection. Affordability was ranked last among the five top concerns as many assume the Government will subsidise the cost as done with other immunisation programs.

This pandemic has been accompanied by an overabundance of information and misinformation, an ‘infodemic’ on a global scale. People are inevitably exposed to misinformation, rumours and false conspiracy theories, which may erode their confidence in vaccination.

Vaccine acceptance and uptake may also be undermined by COVID-19 vaccines being not fully effective, meaning that people will have to continue to engage in preventive behaviour (e.g. mask wearing and physical distancing) even if and after they have been vaccinated.

It will be important to manage expectations and ensure that those who have been vaccinated do not stop adhering to protective behaviours and expose themselves and others to risk. It is important to build trust in COVID-19 vaccines before people form an opinion against them.

This should involve using trusted messengers to help navigate the COVID-19 information landscape and building confidence in the vaccine development process through transparency and managing expectations.

Communicating consistently, transparently, empathetically and proactively about uncertainty, risks and vaccine availability will contribute to building trust and this should also get the attention of policymakers.