Coronavirus vaccine: 49% Pakistanis refuse to take the vaccine

In the recent survey conducted on Wednesday, Gallup Pakistan revealed that the majority of the people in Pakistan refuse to get the Coronavirus Vaccine.

According to the survey, 49% of the participants opted out of the vaccination, while only 39% population accepted it.

As for the choice of vaccine, 31% of the participants said that they would prefer a Pakistan-made vaccine, 19% said they would opt for a government-recommended vaccine, 13% for a Chinese vaccine, 4% for one by USA/Europe, and 1% for a Russian one.

Meanwhile, 5% said that they had not decided yet. 4% answered that they did not have enough information to make a decision yet.

“Given the history of vaccine resistance, this is an alarming number and not just for Pakistan but also for the world, which depends on universal vaccine coverage to control spread,” Bilal Gilani, the pollster’s executive director, said.

Tauqeer Hussain Mallhi, an assistant professor at Al-Jawf University, in Sakakah, Saudi Arabia, who studies vaccine effectiveness in Pakistan says that “Many people still don’t believe it is a real disease.”

Coronavirus Vaccine: People’s Trust

The survey further revealed that people do not trust media at all. As a result, any coronavirus-related information from the media is not trustable. Only 52% of the respondents say they prefer it.

In contrast to this, 81% said they trust medical experts. 77% population chose family or friends. Only 58% answered that they prefer the federal government to inform them.

Gallup Pakistan conducted this survey in which more than 1,000 people participated. It took place between December 24, 2020, and January 15, 2021.