Many Canadians want to wait before getting a COVID-19 vaccine: survey

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Despite a lot of us saying we want to get back to the way things were before COVID-19, it appears many still have reservations about a potential vaccine.

Over the last few months, there’s actually been a drop in the number of people who say they would get vaccinated right away.

The new research from the Angus Reid Institute finds fewer than half of Canadians polled, 38 per cent, would prefer to wait a bit before getting vaccinated, while 39 per cent say they’d look to get the shot as soon as one is available.

About 16 per cent of people are solidly against a vaccine and just seven per cent of respondents are undecided.

The drop in the number of people who have said they’d try to get vaccinated as soon as one was available dropped seven points since the middle of the summer, the pollster says.

When Canadians were first polled on the subject in late July, 46 per cent said they’d seek a vaccination as soon as one was ready.

Resistance to vaccinations appears to be higher in some provinces than others.

“Notably, respondents in Alberta and Quebec – the two Canadian regions with the highest per capita cases of COVID-19 infection – are not only among the most resistant to vaccination, but also more likely to have entrenched their stance since the summer,” the survey reads.

Much of the resistance may be driven by fear of possible side effects, the Angus Reid Institute says.

Meanwhile, it appears more people are now wearing masks while in public. The survey has found that 84 per cent of Canadians say they’re wearing a mask “always or most of the time” when they’re in public spaces.

This number represents a 30 point increase since July.

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