South Africa is nowhere near the vaccination levels needed for the country to return to normal. Picture: iStock
Vaccine hesitancy seems to be on the increase, especially among the youth, white South Africans and even some medical professionals.
But scientists say vaccination is still the only effective means of reducing the impact of Covid-19, as this lowers the chances of passing on the virus, and could be the solution of life going back to normal.
With just over 9.5 million people currently vaccinated in the country, it appears the desire for Covid-19 vaccines has decreased over the past weeks, with more people showing disinterest in getting the jab.
According to the third round of research by the University of Johannesburg and the Human Sciences Research Council (HMRC), younger people are less likely to be accepting of the vaccine, with those aged between 18 and 24 declining by 8% to 55% of those surveyed.
Vaccine acceptance declined amongst white adults from 56% to 52%, while it increased from 69% to 75% for black adults, the survey found.
Vaccinations work by strengthening the immune system against disease-causing viruses.
According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a person will have a higher level of protection once they are vaccinated against a specific harmful disease.
“Vaccines contain a part of the virus or bacteria in a weakened, live or killed state, which will trigger a response from the immune system. It is important to be aware that vaccines do not cause disease or health complications,” the NICD said.
Some vaccines may have an impact on transmission as they lower the viral load on those infected, making it less likely to transmit it to the next person, said president of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) Professor Glenda Gray.
“While the vaccine has individual benefits, there may be some other benefits including reduced viral load. This means having everyone vaccinated keeps your workforce safe.”
She said implementing mandatory Covid vaccinations into company policies and various venues and countries could ensure the workforce, restaurants and pubs remain opened.
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“If you vaccinated your work staff, there won’t be loss of life and they are more likely to be more productive. If you are running a restaurant and staff, it will make them more productive and less likely to go into quarantine and it helps to get everything back to normal.
“Vaccination is the first step to try and control the pandemic,” said Gray.
While it is scientifically everyone’s interest to be vaccinated, one needs to weigh the right of choice versus the employer’s rights to protect its workers, said Stellenbosch University epidemiologist Dr Jo Barnes.
“But scientifically, it would be in any person’s interest to be vaccinated. It’s not an insurance policy because no vaccine is, but it’s a huge protection,” said Barnes.
The UJ/HRSC research found that among those that were hesitant, side effects and concerns that the vaccination won’t work were the most common explanations, particularly among white citizens.
“Concerns about the side-effects and effectiveness of the vaccine are particularly pronounced among white adults, the most vaccine hesitant group.
“Explanations for vaccine hesitancy related to social media or other rumours only make up a small portion of explanation – 5%,” said South African research chair in social change at UJ, Professor Kate Alexander.
Reasons related to religious objections or conspiracy theories were the minority explanation, accounting for 2% of those surveyed.
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“Contrary to other research, we find that religiosity plays little role in influencing the willingness to vaccinate,” she said.
But it is the unvaccinated that drive the disease and could lead to mutations of the virus. Such mutation, however, do not mean the vaccinated are no longer protected, said Barnes.
“If a new variant makes the round and it is weaker or the same as the current variant, it won’t gain that much [strength]. The unvaccinated group of people are three times more susceptible to infection and they are eight times more likely to go to hospital than the vaccinated group.
“Even if there is a new variant with a breakthrough of infections, if you are vaccinated you will partially be protected,” she said.
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