Recently released surveys have shown that one in five adults in England, Wales and Scotland still feel unsafe in public places such as restaurants and public transport due to fear of Covid-19.
A YouGov survey commissioned by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) think tank found that 18% of adults surveyed feel insecure in these areas.
The study comes at a time when Britain is taking a triple hit from a rise in colds, flu and coronavirus that will infect millions over Christmas and continue to strain the National Health Service – Covid-19 infections are up 43% in two weeks, and colds increased four times. and flu.
IPPR researcher and lead author Efua Poku-Amanfo shared I that there is still a fear – especially among the unemployed – of contracting Covid-19 and other winter diseases.
Despite including booster shots for Covid, the study also found that 23% of adults said they were unlikely to receive a winter flu vaccine.
The think tank is calling on the government to encourage more vaccination programs in the workplace and community, improve collaboration with schools, and create a permanent unit to combat health misinformation.
“We argue that vaccines are the safest and cheapest way to be sure when it comes to infectious diseases in general. Especially now that the winter respiratory viruses that are rampant at this time of year are rampant, but we don’t necessarily know they’re as well known as we’d like,” she said.
Ms Pocu-Amanfo said it was a combination of people who felt they didn’t need it and people who were worried about taking time off to make an appointment for the vaccine.
People from marginalized or low-income backgrounds were less likely to be vaccinated and less likely to trust traditional media such as online forums and chat rooms.
Others may not know their labor rights when it comes to vaccine deals, she said.
“People can be reserved personally, but there can be more structural barriers. Let’s say you stack shelves and work 12-hour shifts with hourly pay. Is it worth taking this hour to get this vaccine?
The IPPR is calling for a legal right to vaccination and sick leave in the event of any adverse events, as well as £400m to restore the Community Champions scheme in local areas.
Recently, Dame Kate Bingham, the former head of the UK Vaccine Task Force, warned ministers that the country had lost “leadership” in vaccines because it was able to access vaccines that could fight new strains of Covid to weaken them.
However, the IPPR study also showed that all national childhood immunization programs experienced a decline in coverage compared to the previous year. All 13 vaccination programs fell short of the World Health Organization’s target of 95 percent.
Ms. Pocu-Amanfo said the institute is calling for greater collaboration with school communities to address vaccine concerns and for more school nurses to have at least one school nurse for every 600 children.
He also proposes holding a national conversation on vaccination and setting up a health disinformation team led by the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sports and the Department of Health and Welfare to combat conspiracy theories and the spread of misinformation online.
IPPR Principal Investigator Chris Thomas urged ministers to “remove barriers to vaccine equity” and “proactively seek out and remove sources of harmful misinformation online.”
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.