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. 2021 Jan 13;9(1):44.
doi: 10.3390/vaccines9010044.

Flattening the Curve of COVID-19 Vaccine Rejection-An International Overview

Wojciech Feleszko  1 , Piotr Lewulis  2 , Adam Czarnecki  3 , Paweł Waszkiewicz  2
Affiliations

Flattening the Curve of COVID-19 Vaccine Rejection-An International Overview

Wojciech Feleszko et al. Vaccines (Basel). .

Abstract

Background: If globally implemented, a safe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program will have broad clinical and socioeconomic benefits. However, individuals who anticipate that the coronavirus vaccine will bring life back to normality may be disappointed, due to the emerging antivaccination attitude within the general population.

Methods: We surveyed a sample of adult Polish citizens (n = 1066), and compared it with the data on international COVID-19 vaccine reluctance.

Results: In 20 national surveys, the vaccine averseness for the anticipated COVID-19 vaccine varied from meager (2-6% China) to very high (43%, Czech Republic, and 44%, Turkey) and in most countries was much higher than regular vaccination reluctance, which varies between 3% (Egypt) and 55% (Russia).

Conclusions: These results suggest that a 67% herd immunity may be possible only if mandatory preventive vaccination programs start early and are combined with coordinated education efforts supported by legislative power and social campaigns.

Keywords: COVID-19; herd immunity; vaccine hesitancy; vaccines.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
An international overview and comparison of COVID-19 vaccination acceptance levels and attitudes towards vaccination in general, with a graphic representation in the context of the herd-immunity vaccination threshold (yellow horizontal line).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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