NEW DELHI: More than 50 per cent of India’s population has expressed a caution towards taking the virus vaccine, a new survey revealed.

‘The GOQii Covid-19 – The Way Forward’ survey was conducted with approximately 11,000 respondents to understand the openness to take the vaccine, the perception about the government measures to combat Covid-19, the possible future measures including a lockdown.

It revealed that 53 per cent of the population is unsure about taking Covid vaccine.

It added that 43 per cent of them are not sure and will only make a solid opinion post initial results about the effectiveness of the vaccine while 10 per cent are firmly against taking the vaccine as of now.

On an optimistic note, 47 per cent of the respondents said that they are willing to take the vaccine and are actually waiting for it.

Women are more cautious than men with 48 per cent of the male population willing to get vaccinated while the female readiness is around 42 per cent.

With age, the willingness to take the vaccine reduces. The Adults (45-60) and Seniors (60+) are not as ready as the younger age groups. This may be due to concerns about complications post taking it.

Vishal Gondal, Founder and CEO, GOQii said, “The World Health Organisation is cautiously optimistic that safe and effective vaccines for Covid-19 will be successfully developed soon. There is a robust pipeline of potential vaccines in the development, and some have already advanced to the next stage. The Government of India has taken several steps from implementing lockdown to announcing a relief package of Rs 1.7 lakh crore to the medical industry for rapid improvement in the testing capacity among many others. There are different types of initiatives which the government, at the Central, state and local level, is working on. We at GOQii commend the efforts that various organisations have put in to help the world see through these difficult times. While the public opinion may vary, the important aspect to note is that preventive healthcare is the only way forward, as boosting immunity and staying healthy is the best and only viable option amidst a dreaded pandemic.”

According to the study, 50 per cent of the respondents feel that the Central government initiatives have been effective in curbing the spread of Covid-19 while 25 per cent of the people surveyed believe that the state government initiatives have been effective. Only 22 per cent of citizens recognise the efforts of the local Government in terms of effectiveness.

Also, 66 per cent of the population surveyed believes the opening up of lockdown slowly is the way forward while 34 per cent feel that a complete lockdown should be introduced again. 25 per cent have a positive opinion about the current partial lockdown and think that it should continue in a similar manner. While 31 per cent want things to return back to normal but only in a gradual way, wherein rest riction will be loosened very cautiously and while monitoring the numbers. 10 per cent of people who said that there should be no restrictions and things should go back to normal.
IANS