AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine is raising growing doubts among Europeans as EU countries seek to restrict the use of the drug
More than a third of adults in the EU are unsure at all about getting vaccinated against COVID-19, Bloomberg reports, citing the results of a Eurofound poll.
After several EU countries suspended use of the vaccine in mid-March, 34% of respondents chose not to vaccinate. Prior to the decision, the sceptic rate hovered at 25%.
“These results reflect a failure to put a convincing and clear link on the effectiveness and safety of vaccines”, – said Daphne Arendt, senior research manager at Eurofound. – “Trust in vaccines is linked to trust in institutions, an issue that should be addressed first and foremost by policy makers.”
Throughout the study, the average rate of scepticism towards vaccination was 27%. Bulgaria had the worst attitude towards vaccination. Here 61% of survey participants said they did not want to participate in vaccination. In Denmark, Malta and Ireland the scepticism did not exceed 10%.
Earlier, News Front reported that Norway refused to use AstraZeneca for mass vaccination due to dangerous side effects.