Covid vaccine hesitancy high among women with young children
Women with young children are significantly more likely to be worried about having a Covid vaccine, official figures show.
A survey by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that 21 per cent of mothers living with a dependent child aged four or less admitted they were afraid of inoculation because of possible effects of the jab on their fertility.
This is compared to nine per cent of mothers without a dependent child, and five per cent of those with a dependent child aged five or over.
Women in the first category, who were most likely to be planning further pregnancies, were reported as saying they were fearful of the vaccines’ effects.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists are among several bodies who have said there is no evidence that Covid-19 vaccines affect women’s fertility.
However, experts are concerned about a tide of misinformation surrounding the jab.
The ONS survey also found that younger adults, black and black British adults, renters, lower earners and those living in the most deprived areas are more likely to be hesitant.
It said that overall 94 per cent of those surveyed were positive about the vaccine, up from 78 per cent in December when the data was first collected.
But it found that nine per cent of 18,112 adults in Great Britain reported vaccine hesitancy between Jan 13 and Feb 7.
Forty-four per cent of black or black British adults reported vaccine hesitancy.
This was the highest level in all ethnic groups, with the odds of hesitancy six times as high in black or black British adults compared with white adults after adjusting for other factors.
The age group with the highest level of hesitancy was 16- to 29-year-olds, with 17 per cent reporting hesitancy, compared with one per cent of those over 80.
The ONS said higher rates of hesitancy in the younger age groups could be driven by the prioritisation of older age groups in the vaccine rollout.
The same proportion – 16 per cent – of adults living in England's most deprived areas were hesitant, compared with seven per cent in the least deprived parts of the country.
The most common reasons for vaccine hesitancy included being worried about side-effects, the long-term effect on health, wanting to wait to see how well the vaccine works, or not thinking it is safe.
Of those who reported negative sentiment, 11 per cent of women said they were pregnant or trying to conceive and were worried about any effects on the baby.
Tim Vizard, from the ONS's Public Policy Analysis division, said: "Over the past three months, we've seen people become increasingly positive about the Covid-19 vaccines, with over nine in 10 adults saying they would have it if offered, or having already had it."
