Covid vaccines are increasingly accepted by the population. Upon arrival, they were met with skepticism by some because of their lightning development time and the messenger RNA technology they contained, new to the general public, but in the making for many years in laboratories. In 2022, 79.1% of the 23,000 respondents to a survey conducted by theInstitute of Global Heath in Barcelona said they were ready to be vaccinated against Covid-19, this is 5.2% more than in 2021. The results of this international survey, published in Nature Medicinealso indicate that parents are more likely to vaccinate their children.
Despite this good momentum, the survey also reveals that in eight countries, vaccine hesitancy has increased between 2021 and 2022. About one in eight vaccinees is hesitant to receive a booster dose despite the frequent appearance of new variants. This trend is very marked among 18-29 year olds. Depending on the country, researchers have been able to associate vaccine hesitancy with certain socio-economic determinants. For example, in Russia and China women are the most hesitant; in France, it is those without a university degree, and in Germany, people with low incomes. ” The pandemic is not over and authorities must urgently address vaccine hesitancy in their strategy to fight against Covid-19 », concludes Jeffrey V. Lazarus, first author of the study.