Vaccine hesitancy drops significantly in B.C. as more than 75% of adults have received 1st dose: poll
Vaccine hesitancy is dropping significantly in B.C. and most who have received at least one shot were happy with the process overall, a new poll suggests.
According to results of an Insights West survey released Monday, just five per cent of British Columbians are confident they will not be getting a COVID-19 vaccine. Another three per cent said they were "unlikely" to get a dose and two per cent said they were unsure.
In their last poll, conducted two months ago, Insights West said 23 per cent of those surveyed showed some form of hesitancy to getting a dose.
"British Columbians have come a long way at the tail end of this pandemic in accepting the vaccines that are available and many of the hesitations that we identified two months ago have lessened significantly," said Steve Mossop, president of Insights West, in a news release.
"There is only a small core group of five per cent now who will definitely not get the vaccine, giving us hope that we can go beyond the 80 per cent threshold to achieve the 'herd immunity' that so many experts have been telling us is essential to getting our lives back to normal."
As of Friday, B.C. surpassed the 75 per cent threshold of eligible adults receiving at least one dose.
For those who have gotten a shot, 92 per cent said they were satisfied with the process, the Insights West survey found.
"It’s likely that these positive experiences overall have had an impact on countering the hesitations that residents had prior to widespread vaccinations becoming available," Mossop said.
Ninety-nine per cent of those polled said they were at least somewhat satisfied with the friendliness of the staff they encountered, while 98 per cent said they were at least somewhat satisfied with the information provided at the clinic when they got their dose.
The survey also asked about the organization of the clinic, how long the process took, the comfort of where they waited and the overall convenience of where their appointment was. More than 90 per cent of respondents were at least somewhat satisfied with all those areas, with more than half saying they were extremely satisfied.
However, those who had their vaccine at a pop-up clinic or pharmacy appeared to rank their ease of booking an appointment lower. Sixteen per cent were dissatisfied with that process, compared to seven per cent for those who booked through another clinic.
Results are based on an online study conducted by Insights West Marketing Research between May 26 and May 30 among a sample of 831 residents across B.C. The margin of error with the total sample, which measures sample variability, is plus or minus 3.4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.