AS MANY as one in ten people in Ireland would opt against taking any new vaccine against the killer COVID-19 virus, new research has found.
According to a nationally representative survey of adult citizen conducted by psychologists from Maynooth University and Trinity College, just 65% pf the Irish public would definitely use it.
Researchers found only 65% of people indicated that they would accept a Covid-19 vaccine for themselves and their children if one was developed.
One in four people said that they might accept a vaccine for themselves and their child but one in ten said they would not.
“Despite encouraging results in terms of people’s knowledge on Covid-19, we found that attitudes towards the uptake of a potential Covid-19 vaccine to be worryingly low,” Dr Frédérique Vallières of Trinity College’s Centre for Global Health said.
"There were a healthy number of individuals - over 60% - who said that they would accept a vaccine for themselves or for their children should it become available.”
"We did find about one in four who said that they would maybe consider it and then about 10% who said that they wouldn't consider it.
"In this next wave of surveys that we are hoping to conduct in the next couple of weeks, we hope to explore that further."
The study also asked respondents questions relating to their mental health as part of a snapshot of the issues being faced by those under lockdown.
It highlighted how mental health problems were common before the latest set of restrictions, with 35% reporting feelings of anxiety, depression or stress.
41% of people reported feeling lonely; 23% reported clinically meaningful levels of depression; 20% clinically meaningful levels of anxiety; and 18% clinically meaningful levels of post-traumatic stress.
Women were also found to be experiencing higher levels of depression and anxiety, while men by comparison experienced higher rates of post-traumatic stress.
Anyone suffering mental health issues is encouraged to undertake three periods of exercise lasting 30 minutes or more.
A second survey is to be launched in May.
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