Over eight out of 10 will take Covid-19 vaccine in Wales shows YouGov poll

Over eight out of 10 people in Wales have had or want to have the Covid-19 jab in Wales, according to a YouGov poll.

The survey commissioned by Public Health Wales revealed that 85 per cent of residents in Wales have had or would have a Covid-19 vaccine if they were offered it right now.

78 per cent also agreed that they believe most people in Wales will choose to be vaccinated once a Covid-19 vaccine is offered to them.

At least 1,000 people in Wales were interviewed to understand the public’s feelings about vaccines, specifically Covid-19 and flu vaccines.

According to the findings, 78 per cent agree their severity of illness will be reduced if they caught Coronavirus after their Covid-19 vaccine.

When asked about the safety of the vaccine, 77 per cent of people agreed that Covid-19 vaccines which are approved for use by the NHS will be very safe.

Furthermore, 77 per cent of people agree that they know enough about the safety of the Covid-19 vaccine to make an informed decision about whether or not to get vaccinated for Coronavirus.

‘Perceptions’

Dr Richard Roberts, Head of the Vaccine Preventable Diseases Programme at Public Health Wales said: “Vaccination is one of the most effective ways of protecting ourselves from COVID-19, so it’s really encouraging to see that more than 8 out of 10 people would have a COVID-19 vaccine if they were offered it right now.

“As we know, The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has said that all current evidence suggests that the approved COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective and these latest findings clearly suggest that people are listening to the safety messages, which is extremely positive.

“In future reports, we’re hoping to understand more about how people’s perceptions of vaccines may differ depending on their ethnicity, age and gender to identify any key trends and we will publish this data as and when it becomes available.”

Figures

A total of 951,540 people in Wales have been given a first dose of Covid vaccine, while 139,445 have now been given the full two doses.

The latest day saw 9,523 people get a first dose and 14,664 get their second, the most in a single day so far.

So far, 30.2% of the Welsh population have had a first dose and 4.4% have had a full vaccination.

Wales has now fallen behind England and Scotland for first doses, with 30.2% of the population given the vaccine compared with 31.6% and 30.9% respectively.

But Wales has surged ahead with second doses, with 4.4% fully vaccinated compared with 1.2% in England, 1.83% in Scotland and 2.1% in Northern Ireland.