Russians are still overwhelmingly unwilling to take the coronavirus vaccine as the national vaccination drive gains steam, the RBC news website reported Friday, citing poll results.
The Superjob.ru job board’s survey taken this month showed 60% of Russian respondents opposing the vaccine compared with 40% favoring it, according to RBC.
Opponents cited mistrust of the Covid-19 vaccine, its side effects and contraindications, as well as a lack of information about clinical trial results. Some respondents said they suffered from severe chronic diseases or were unsure how long their antibodies would last after recovering from Covid-19. Others said they were waiting for other vaccines, both domestic and foreign, to become available to the general public.
While 29% of those willing to vaccinate showed no preference for a particular jab, others were twice as likely to name Sputnik V their vaccine of choice as EpiVacCorona, which the Russian government approved in October.
Superjob.ru surveyed 1,600 respondents across nearly 400 Russian cities between Jan. 13-14.
On Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin ordered a mass vaccination campaign to start next week following a slower-than-expected rollout that began early in December.
Recent analysis found that only five out of 85 Russian regions, including Moscow, had high availability of Covid-19 vaccines. Half of Russia’s regions were judged not to have launched mass vaccinations yet.