Significant drop in Australians who will get COVID jab

There has been a substantial increase in COVID-19 vaccine resistance and hesitancy among Australians, according to new analysis from The Australian National University (ANU). The survey of more than 3,500 Australians is the only longitudinal study available tracking individuals from prior to the pandemic, and the only study that doesn't rely solely on people volunteering to participate. It is the most robust survey data available on whether or not someone expects to get vaccinated, finding a large decline in the number of people who are likely to take a vaccine once it becomes available. The findings, based on Australia's longest running study of Australians' experiences of and attitudes to the coronavirus, come as Australia begins rolling out the first dosages of the Pfizer vaccine. According to the study, more than one-in-five Australians (21.7 per cent) said in January 2021 that they probably or definitely will not get a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine once health officials notify the public that one is available. "This is a large and significant increase from the 12.7 per cent of Australians who said the same thing in August 2020 when vaccines were still being developed and trialled," study co-author Professor Nicholas Biddle said. "We also found more than three-in-10 Australians, some 31.9 per cent, became less willing to get a vaccine between August 2020 and January 2021.