Nearly a quarter of Canadians say they would be unsure about getting coronavirus vaccine

The Department of Health recently conducted a study to see if Canadians would take a vaccine against coronavirus, should one become available. Their research revealed that a surprising amount of Canadians were skeptical of the idea, the majority of which were parents who are wary of vaccines, coming in at 24 percent.

The study was called, Vaccine Acceptability Factors For The General Public And Health Care Professionals In Canada and their findings were based off an online survey of 2,002 people across the country. The research was conducted by Environics Research and they were paid $185,490 for the survey by the Department of Health according to Blacklock's Reporter.

“Vaccines are considered the greatest public health intervention of the twentieth century, but in the 21st century there has been increasingly vocal resistance to routine immunization among certain members of the population,” said the study.

The survey asked, “When a health care provider recommends that you or your children receive a vaccine that is newly approved for use in Canada, how likely are you to get vaccinated?”

To which a total of 24 percent said they were unlikely or not sure. The survey then also asked, “What are the main reasons why vaccination is not an accepted health care practice in your household?”

Twenty-two percent of people responded with the answer, “they are unnecessary," while 13 percent said “I don’t believe in them." An additional 13 percent claimed vaccines have “dangerous chemicals” or are “not safe”

Nine percent said they “don’t trust the pharmaceutical industry” and that vaccine promoters were “in it for the money”.

“There is a notable minority who are concerned about the potential for serious side effects, and about four in ten report having some kind of negative experience or reaction though not usually serious,” said the report.

When Environics questioned people on whether or not they agreed with the statement, “People should not be required to get vaccinated,” 17 percent of respondents agreed.

Almost a third of parents, 29 percent, said they felt “reluctant for their children to receive a vaccine recommended by a health care professional.”

It is believed that the skepticism surrounding vaccinations can be traces back to a 1998 article in the The Lancet, a UK medical journal, that linked vaccines for measles and mumps to autism in small children. Those findings have since been discredited and the study was retracted in 2010. Titled Ileal-Lymphoid-Nodular Hyperlasia, Non-Specific Colitis And Pervasive Development Disorder In Children, it's lead author Dr. Anthony Wakefield, was discovered to have falsified data and was later stripped of his medical license.

“The number of Canadians who are delaying or refusing immunization is increasing,” said a previous report from 2018. The survey was entitled, Survey Of Health Care Providers’ Views And Experiences With Vaccine Hesitancy. Doctors and nurses claimed they still encountered patients regularly who refused vaccinations as a result of "conspiracy theories" or "incorrect information." The study was conducted by Health Canada and it revealed that 51 per cent of health professionals surveyed, shared this experience.