USQ public health expert backs calls for financial incentive for Covid-19 vaccination

A public health expert has called for incentives to encourage people to get the Covid-19 jab, with research showing the method works for a key demographic.

A public health expert has backed calls for financial incentives to be introduced to encourage people to roll up their sleeves and get the Covid-19 jab.

This week Australia’s vaccine commander Lieutenant General John Frewen said incentives could be rolled out later in the year to help lift vaccine rates and overcome lingering hesitancy within the community.

University of Southern Queensland’s Dr Aletha Ward said research from across the globe has shown that incentives are effective in encouraging a key demographic to receive the vaccine.

“Broadly speaking there’s three groups of people, the group that has decided they’ll get the vaccine as soon as they can, the group that won’t get the vaccine no matter what, and the undecided and unmotivated people in the middle,” Dr Ward said.

“That middle group might have a wait-and-see attitude or just haven’t got around to it, and the research demonstrates this group of people increase their vaccination uptake when there’s incentives to do so.”

University of Southern Queensland public health expert Dr Aletha Ward.

Dr Ward said any financial inventive would need to be retroactive to include people who have already received the jab to be effective, and be part of a clear and concise communication on vaccine efficacy and safety.

“I think it’s a wise choice and a payment, as opposed to a lottery, could really be an economic stimulus throughout the entire economy,” she said.

“Some of the areas and groups of people that are showing low vaccine uptake are in lower socio-economic status areas, and for example a $300 incentive could become a $1200 injection for one household and that’s a big incentive especially if they’ve been out of work due to a lockdown.”

With current demand for the vaccine outstripping supply Dr Ward said the incentives would be better served when there was an increase of Covid-19 vaccine supply.

“It’s all well and good saying that we all need to vaccinated but obviously not everyone that wants the vaccine is eligible,” Dr Ward said.

“The incentive would only really be useful when the vaccine is available to anyone and everyone that wants it, and it will be interesting to see if we can reach that 80 per cent target without any incentives.”