Kevin Quigley says when a COVID-19 vaccine finally arrives, he won’t be first in line to get it.
“I’d wait til a little bit more testing, I’d give it three weeks to a month before I’d actually get it,” he said.
And he isn’t alone. A new Angus Reid survey shows just 39 per cent of Canadians say they will get the vaccine as soon as it’s available, down from 46 per cent who said they would in July.
Victoria pharmacist Lindsay Dixon says while the numbers are concerning, they’re not that surprising.
Dixon says the Astrazeneca vaccine trial where a woman suffered serious neurological side effects is likely one reason fewer people are ready to jump on board right away. But she says it’s actually a sign the fast-paced process is working.
“When we see these kinds of things we shouldn’t be concerned, it’s actually a sign they’re taking these concerns very seriously and they’re communicating them to the public,” she said.
She also says with such a high survival rate more people may feel like a vaccine isn’t necessary.
But in B.C. there are more people buying in than the Canadian average: 44 per cent saying they would get a vaccine right away, while 38 per cent say they would get it eventually and 13 per cent not at all.
READ MORE: Flu vaccine orders up in Canada as simultaneous COVID and flu infections feared
Ann Walsh is as eager as they come
“I’m a senior, I’d risk the vaccine side effects rather than COVID,” she said.
Dixon says by the time a vaccine finally does get approved in Canada, it will have passed a rigorous safety process, and we will know what, if any, side effects are possible. But with few details at this point, she doesn’t blame people for being wary.
“I don’t think we should be asking people to make that decision without the appropriate information,” she said.
For now, the race is on to gather that information and have a vaccine ready for the public as soon as early 2021.
April Lawrence
