32pc ready to take vaccine immediately
Some 32 percent of respondents of a nationwide survey have said they will take Covid-19 vaccines at the very beginning of the countrywide inoculation, set to start in February.
A majority of the people -- around 52 percent -- however, want to take the vaccine a few weeks or months after the vaccination begins.
On the other hand, some 16 percent people said they will not take the vaccine at all, revealed the survey conducted on 3,560 people from 16 upazilas of eight divisions and two city corporations of Dhaka city.
Of those (16 percent) who do not want to take vaccines, 54 percent expressed their doubt about the efficacy of the vaccine while 34 were wary of side effects. The rest were doubtful about the quality of the imported vaccines, the study said.
The Institute of Health Economics (IHE) at Dhaka University and Bangladesh Como Modeling Team jointly conducted the study between January 10 and 25.
As there are misconception about efficacy of the vaccine, its standard and side-effects, researchers recommended that the government address this issue using different media of communication.
"Along with raising awareness, we also recommended to give the vaccine jab to 'iconic' people at first. This will build trust among people," Prof Abdul Hamid, chief of the study said during the online dissemination yesterday.
The study concluded that some 84 percent people were found interested in taking the vaccine for free. Meanwhile, 66 percent said they will take it even if they need to pay for it.
Eagerness to take vaccine was more evident among rural people than in urban areas, the study revealed.
During the study, more than four percent people said they had Covid-19 infected member in their families. This portion of people were less interested in taking vaccine. The study team pointed growing immunity and overcoming Covid-19 fear were the reasons behind their unwillingness.
Nafiz Iftekhar, associate professor of IHE, however, opined the percentage of people who do not want to take vaccine will be more than the percentage found in the study.
Public health expert Abu Zamil Faisal, also a member of the study, on the other hand, said the number of people keen to take vaccine will rise in course of time.
Md Abdul Hakim Majumdar, a former bureaucrat, said, "It is important that the government officials have to come forward to take the vaccines at first. For example all staffers of the secretariat could take vaccine on the same day. It will build confidence among people."
Researchers said they will continue the study to explore the aftermath of the first vaccination run scheduled for launch tomorrow in Dhaka and on February 8 across the country.
"This is the first round of our study. We will start the second round of the study after the vaccination starts," said Dr Shafiun Shimul, member of the study team and an associate professor of IHE.
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