Lauren McGaun
18% of under 25s currently eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine say they do not plan to book a vaccine appointment, according to new research by myGP.
The studies conducted in March and July this year show that vaccine confidence fell by 3% amongst the 2,600 respondents.
Of the 17.8% who did not intend to get the vaccine, 22.4% said they would change their mind if vaccine passports became mandatory in entertainment venues. However, the vast majority at 77.6% stated that they would look for venues which did not require a vaccine passport instead.
“the number of Covid-19 related deaths in England continues to rise”
The study found that the main reasons for vaccine hesitancy amongst under 25s included concern over the speed of the vaccine production, worry over long term side effects, the potential risk to babies and a belief that Covid-19 didn’t pose a risk because of their age.
Whilst the latest data from the ONS shows that vaccine hesitancy decreased from 9% to 5% for those aged 18 to 21, there are still fears that not enough people will come forward for their first and second dose of the jab.
Meanwhile, the number of Covid-19 related deaths in England continues to rise, with the latest data showing 607 deaths over the past seven days – up 6.5% compared to the previous week. 89.1% of UK adults have now had at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.
On A-Level results day on Tuesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson congratulated students on their hard work and urged them to come forward for their vaccine.
Congratulations to everyone receiving their A-level results today.
It’s been an extremely challenging year and you should all be very proud of what you’ve achieved.
And as you move to this exciting next stage, make sure you remember to get your jab. pic.twitter.com/ZwVsj4qJbr
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) August 10, 2021
“As you move to this exciting next stage, make sure you remember to get your jab,” the PM urged.
Whilst ministers are no longer considering making it mandatory for students to be double jabbed to attend lectures, these plans could still change if vaccine uptake remains low amongst young people.
Featured image courtesy of Nick Fewings on Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
Lauren McGaun
Lauren is a freelance journalist at BBC Politics. She helped set up EJ as Co-Founder and used to be Editor in Chief for over a year. Most evenings you will find her sipping Aperol Spritz whilst watching the news or a documentary.