Coronavirus: Three in four prepared to step forward for COVID-19 vaccine

An overwhelming majority of Aussies plan to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

A health worker tests a Perth resident on Monday. Picture: Getty Images

An overwhelming majority of Australians plan to get vaccinated against COVID-19 when it is rolled out within weeks and back making it mandatory for teachers, health, aged-care workers and international passengers.

However, there was only soft support for forcing employees to get the jab as a condition of work or making it a requirement for children attending daycare.

As exclusive Newspoll conducted for The Australian revealed 75 per cent of voters said they would either definitely or probably get vaccinated yet the fact one in four said they would refuse vaccination or were undecided about it indicated there was still a significant level of scepticism in the community.

Announcing a $1.9bn logistical rollout of the vaccine, Scott Morrison on Monday urged people to stay off Facebook where conspiracy theories about the dangers of vaccines have been circulating.

“We’ve been very clear to point out where you get your information from,” the Prime Minister said. “You don’t get it from Facebook. You get it from official government websites. And that’s what I encourage everybody to do. And that’s what we’re doing. And that’s what we’re investing in. Don’t go to Facebook to find out about the vaccine; go to official government websites.”

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The poll of 1512 voters conducted for The Australian showed the willingness to get vaccinated was spread evenly across voting groups of the major parties and the Greens.

Almost half, 46 per cent of all voters, claimed they would definitely get vaccinated with a further 29 per cent indicating they would “probably” do so.

The responses came amid increasing confidence in the ability of the public health system to cope with outbreaks, with 69 per cent of voters believing it was robust enough compared with 59 per cent polled in July last year as the second wave outbreak emerged in Victoria.

However, a strong anti-vax sentiment among minor party and One Nation voters has emerged, with almost half being firmly opposed to getting vaccinated and believing no-one should be required to get it.

Support for vaccination was strongest among the elderly with 85 per cent of voters aged over 65 saying they would probably or definitely get vaccinated. The least likely were those aged between 35 and 49 years old.

Women were also more reluctant than men, with 51 per cent of male voters saying they would definitely get vaccinated and 29 per cent saying “probably”. However, only 42 per cent of women voters said they would definitely receive the shot.

Voters were adamant that international passengers should be vaccinated as a condition of travel with 81 per cent believing it should be compulsory, while 80 per cent wanted aged care workers to have a mandatory vaccination.

 

Slightly fewer, 77 per cent, said front line medical staff should be forced to get vaccinated with 70 per cent believing the same should apply to teachers and daycare workers. Voters were split, however, on employers being able to force workers to be vaccinated with 52 per cent agreeing it should be required while 43 per cent said it should be optional. Only 41 per cent of people believed children should be required to be inoculated to attend childcare centres, with 47 per cent claiming it should be up to parents to decide.

The special Newspoll also showed that 73 per cent of voters remained satisfied with both the federal and state government’s management of the public health system. The strong support for vaccination among Australians, compared with countries such as the US where there is an ingrained scepticism in some communities, comes as the World Health Organisation raises doubts about the ability of Australia to meet the October 2021 deadline to have a majority of Australians vaccinated.

WHO epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaws said supply concerns — following Europe’s export ban on vaccines — could affect the deadline without a ramping up of local production.

“One of the challenges in Australia is that we’re only going to get about 80,000 doses of Pfizer each week which will then slow down the vaccination of our phase one frontline and vulnerable,” Professor McLaws said. “That means it will take about 17 weeks, just with the quick calculation that you have to be vaccinated twice.”

Europe’s reliance on the Pfizer vaccine to curb its outbreak would mean Australia would struggle to secure enough of that vaccine, Professor McLaws told the ABC.

“They’ve been caught short ­because they’re now out of control, the numbers are going up,” Professor McLaws said.