September 02, 2021 - 796 views
A survey commissioned by Public Health Wales has revealed that just over two thirds of adults in Wales (70 per cent) would happily accept a flu and COVID-19 vaccine at the same time this year, with 89 per cent also happy to accept a COVID-19 booster, if offered.
Anne McGowan, Nurse Consultant for health Protection at Public Health Wales said: “Vaccination is one of the most effective ways of protecting ourselves from serious disease, so it’s really encouraging to see that so many people understand this and are willing to accept both COVID-19 vaccines and boosters, and flu vaccines this year.
“This will be critical for protecting the people of Wales from serious illness and hospitalisation over the winter months and beyond.”
The survey revealed that the perception of risk from COVID-19 is still low among young people (i.e. 18-34 year olds) with 62 per cent disagreeing they are at high risk of catching COVID-19 compared to others and 28 per cent disagreeing they can get seriously ill if they catch COVID-19
Anne continued: “With increasing numbers of young people testing positive for Coronavirus, it is of concern that so many still believe that their risk of catching or becoming seriously ill with Coronavirus is low, when we know this not to be the case.
“While the younger a person is the lower their overall risk from coronavirus, young adults can still get long Covid - which is when symptoms of the disease persist for an extended period.
“We would strongly urge anyone, whatever the age, if offered the COVID-19 vaccine, to accept it. This way we can limit the spread of the virus and protect the population. The more people who are vaccinated, the better equipped we are to deal with the virus.”
The report also showed that more than two thirds (73 per cent) regard health professionals as a reliable source of information about the COVID-19 vaccine, followed by Public Health Wales at 71 per cent.
Public Health Wales is commissioning a survey with YouGov every two months, where at least 1,000 people will be interviewed to understand the Welsh public’s feelings about vaccines, specifically COVID-19 and flu vaccines.
