In developing countries in Asia, Africa or South America, the willingness to get vaccinated against Covid-19 is significantly higher than in rich countries like the United States or Russia.
- In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in Africa, Asia and South America, 80% of the population want to be vaccinated. This is much more than in the United States (65%) and Russia (30%).
- However, in these developing countries, access to vaccination is lower, which is delaying global vaccination coverage against Covid-19.
Is hesitating or refusing to be vaccinated a privilege of a rich country? That’s what a new study by an international team of researchers and published in NatureMedicine.
It looked at the proportion of the population accepting or hesitating to be vaccinated in a wide selection of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in Africa, Asia and South America. In total, more than 20,000 respondents agreed to participate in the survey.
80% of people in poor countries want to be vaccinated
The results are evocative. While in the United States and Russia, only 65% and 30% of the respective populations of these two countries wish to be vaccinated against Covid-19, this figure rises to 80% in developing countries.
Among the reasons given for accepting vaccination, personal protection against the virus comes first for 91% of respondents. Fear of side effects was the most common reason for hesitating to get vaccinated, with 44% of responses. Health workers remain the main players in the vaccination campaign since they are considered the most reliable sources of information on vaccines.
Giving priority to developing countries
While in many developed countries the feeling of mistrust towards vaccines is growing and slowing global vaccination coverage, this study shows that low- and middle-income countries suggest that priority given to vaccine distribution should fall to low-income countries. low and intermediate to end the Covid-19 pandemic. However, in many parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America, cases of Covid-19 are increasing due to the population’s poor access to vaccination.
“As stocks of Covid-19 vaccines slowly arrive in developing countries, the next few months will be critical for governments and international organizations to focus on designing and implementing effective programs. vaccine uptakesays Niccoló Meriggi, country economist for the International Growth Center of Sierra Leone and co-author of the study. Governments can use this evidence to develop campaigns and communication systems to ensure that those who intend to get vaccinated actually do so.”
“What we have seen in Europe, the United States and other countries suggests that vaccine hesitancy can complicate policy decisions, thereby hindering rapid and widespread vaccine adoption”reports Saad Omer, director of the Yale Institute for Global Health and co-author of the study.
“However, continues Alexandra Scacco, also co-author, the consistently pro-vaccine attitudes we see in low- and middle-income countries give us reason to be optimistic about vaccine uptake. We hope that the results of our study can contribute to the development of strategies to expand global vaccination against Covid-19.”
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