New Delhi: Amid higher vaccine hesitancy among healthcare professionals, a survey conducted by global communications firm Edelman has pointed out that 80 per cent of Indians are willing to get vaccinated. The survey conducted in 28 countries between October 19 and November 18 included 33,000 participants.
"India showed the highest level of trust in Coronavirous vaccination. Russia shows the most hesitancy," the survey named 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer said.
Hailing the findings of the survey, Dr Tamorish Kole, president of Asian Society for Emergency Medicine told ETV Bharat that it is very encouraging to see fellow Indians are willing to fight the battle against Covid-19 by participating in world's largest vaccination programme and therefore we would progress towards herd immunity.
"By vaccinating, we are not only protecting ourselves but also our near and dear ones and our community," Dr Kole said. The survey finds that 51 per cent of respondents were ready to get vaccinated as soon as it is available, while 29 per cent would take it within a year.
"Doubt over Covid-19 vaccines remains a major hurdle," the survey said. While India showed encouraging results, Russians were the most hesitant with only 15 per cent willing to take the vaccine at present.
Similarly, in the US, only 33 per cent respondents were willing to take the vaccine. The survey further said that the trust on government as far as the health sector is concerned fell sharply since the middle of 2020.
"Government briefly seized the high ground, emerging as the most trusted institution in May 2020, when people entrusted it with leading the fight against Covid-19 and restoring economic health. But the government failed the test and squandered that trust bubble, having lost the ground in the last six months (down 8 points globally)," the survey pointed out.
In India, trust in the government decreased by two points to 79 per cent since May 2020, while business did not lose any trust. Business emerged as the most trusted institutions because of the speed at which they proactively developed vaccines in record time and their ability to find ways to work during the coronavirus restrictions.
"With a growing trust gap worldwide, people are looking for leadership and solutions as they reject heads who they deem as not credible. In fact, none of the societal leaders-government leaders, CEOs, journalists, and even religious leaders-are trusted to do what is right, with drops in trust scores for all," the survey said.
It said that rising tide of misinformation and mistrust is threatening Covid-19 recovery, as people are deeply suspicious and hesitant about the Covid-19 vaccine.
"In fact, among those who practice poor information hygiene that they do not check their source and/or ensure that credible and factual information is shared, there is substantially less willingness to get the vaccine within the year of its availability," the survey pointed out.
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