Tag: vaccine hesitancy

Vaccinated Canadians Less Willing to Get More Booster Shots: Survey

Canadians are becoming more hesitant about getting their next round of COVID-19 vaccine booster doses, according to a new survey. The Angus Reid poll released on July 18 found that among Canadians who say they have received one or two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, just 17 percent say they will seek another vaccine dose,…


Loss of Trust in Government Related to Vaccine Hesitancy, Australian Study Shows

New research published in the Australian Journal of Political Science has revealed that individuals who have less faith in their government officials are more likely to doubt vaccine safety and effectiveness. Experts from the University of Western Australia (UWA) used data from a cross-national study of 22 countries conducted prior to the emergency of the…


How Vaccine Fanatics Fueled Vaccine Skepticism

Commentary The development of COVID-19 vaccines is one of the few successes during a pandemic that saw major failures in public health strategy and treatments. While the vaccines can’t prevent transmission, they have reduced mortality. Before the pandemic, there was almost universal trust in vaccines, and vaccine skeptics were a small but vocal minority. With…


Booster Hesitancy Increasing Amongst Australians

A study (pdf) conducted by the Australian National University shows booster hesitancy of Australians have increased compared to Oct. 2021, prior to the start of the booster program. In Jan. of 2022, 3472 Australians over 18 were surveyed on booster hesitancy, the group have been a consistent sample group for the university and was previously…


Vaccinating Teens Against Parental Consent is ‘Ethically Permissible’: Experts

Research conducted by the Royal Children’s Hospital, the University of Melbourne and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute has concluded that it is “ethically permissible” to vaccinate teenagers aged 12 and over who are requesting a COVID-19 vaccine, even if their parents do not provide consent. Traditionally, parental consent is needed for the vaccination of children,…


Queensland Remains Highest Australian State for Vaccine Hesitancy

The Melbourne Institute’s vaccine hesitancy tracker has revealed that Queensland remains the most hesitant state in Australia towards the COVID-19 vaccines. The data was released as the national fully vaccinated rate nears 90 percent, with the Melbourne Institute concluding that the rate might not go higher because the fall in hesitancy is slowing across all age…


Vaccine Passports Promote Hate

Commentary Legally speaking (in Canada at least), hate speech is a public utterance, publication, or symbolic representation that promotes the vilification and detestation of an identifiable group. In recent months, I have witnessed the proliferation of lawn signs stating, “Hate has no home here.” Those displaying these signs are by and large well-meaning folk who…


Rep. Scalise Urges Encouragement and Education for Vaccine Hesitancy, Not ‘Shaming’

The House Republican whip urged educating people, not shaming them to counter vaccine hesitancy. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) on Sunday criticized the strategy of shaming those who have not gotten the COVID-19 vaccination, saying that it is divisive. “Well first of all, you’ve still got probably two-thirds of our state unvaccinated. What we need to…


Vaccine Hesitancy: Showing Resilience, Integrity, and Grit

Commentary An open “letter to the unvaccinated” released by the Ontario Civil Liberties Association, issues a clarion call for individual autonomy and freedom from state coercion. Its mission statement regarding the COVID-19 vaccines reads in part: “The group emphasizes the voluntary nature of this medical treatment as well as the need for informed consent and…


Think Tank Argues Lockdowns and Outbreaks May Push Vaccination Rates Higher

Lockdowns in the eastern parts of Australia as outbreaks of the Delta variant continues has apparently prompted people to reassess their willingness to get a COVID-19 vaccination a new national poll revealed. The Melbourne Institute’s fortnightly report card into vaccine hesitancy shows it has fallen, from 33 per cent at the end of May to 21.5…