One in seven older teenagers are hesitant about getting the Covid jab

[ad_1]

Many older teenagers are hesitant about getting the vaccineAround one in seven older teenagers in the UK would be hesitant about getting a coronavirus vaccine.
A survey carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) between May 26 and June 20, revealed that 14% of 16-17-year-olds reported vaccine hesitancy.
The jab is currently only available to those 18 and over and some children whose cases fall into the exceptional circumstances category.
This percentage of hesitant older teens is higher that the percentage of uncertain 18-21-year-olds (9%) and uncertain 22-25 year-olds (10%).
The definition of vaccine hesitancy is someone who has refused to be vaccinated, said they would likely not take the jab when offered or those who responded ‘neither likely nor unlikely’, ‘don’t know’ or ‘prefer not to say’.
A disparity in opinions about getting the vaccine doesn’t just show up in relation to age, but also in relation to ethnicity, religion and economic status.
Some 18% of black or black British adults reported hesitancy, followed by 11% of mixed background adults, 4% of white adults and 3% of Asian or Asian British adults.

Members of the public queue to receive a dose of a Covid-19 vaccine (Picture: AFP)

The survey covered 16,180 participants aged 16 and over. (Picture: PA)Approximately one in seven Muslim adults (15%) showed hesitancy, followed by 9% of Hindus and 3% of the Christian group.
Adults living in the most deprived parts of England were more likely to report hesitancy than those living in the least deprived areas – 8% and 3% respectively.
A higher rate of hesitancy was also found in London (7%) and the south-west (6%,) than other English regions.
The survey covered 16,180 participants aged 16 and over.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.

MORE : Where are London’s walk-in Covid vaccine centres?

MORE : Delta variant: Do Covid vaccines work against the new strain?

Get your need-to-know
latest news, feel-good stories, analysis and more