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In an Opinion poll in early October, one in five Norwegians responded that they would refuse to receive the coronary vaccine when it becomes available.
60 percent responded that they want to be vaccinated.
The figures indicate that there is some skepticism and fear of vaccines in the current population.
– We will try to cover the need for information, and we are already planning how it will be done. But there may be other reasons why people hesitate. These are new vaccines, there is a basis for asking questions and you should do the same, FHI Director Camilla Stoltenberg tells TV 2.
– Developed quickly
Norway is not directly involved in any of the vaccines in phase three of the trial. Stoltenberg says that therefore there will be a great need for information among the population when a vaccine is finally ready.
She believes that it is absolutely crucial that people get their questions answered and that the knowledge also comes from Norway.
– It is important because these vaccines develop quickly. Some people use new technology, and while they are tested in large groups, only when you’ve tried them on millions of people can you see if they cause serious side effects, Stoltenberg says.
QUESTION: NIPH Director Camilla Stoltenberg says there is a basis for asking questions about vaccines, but emphasizes that they have a strong focus on giving people the answers they need. Photo: Stian Lysberg Solum
– Do you fear vaccines among the population?
– We believe that, above all, we should face it frankly. And that we must constantly keep people informed about the knowledge that is generated in other places, and even produced. We will reserve a lot of resources for this, Stoltenberg promises.
– People remember 2009
Gunnveig Grødeland is a vaccine researcher at the University of Oslo. She believes that there are several reasons why many people walk in fear of vaccines.
– First of all, people remember 2009 and what happened with Pandemrix. It is difficult to explain the difference between that vaccine and those that are currently being developed. But they are completely different and cannot be compared, says Grødeland.
Because when the swine flu pandemic broke out 11 years ago, the Pandemrix vaccine was developed. According to Grødeland, the starting point was to take the flu vaccines that we knew before and make them a little stronger.
– Then a side effect emerged, especially in the Nordic countries, which was very difficult to detect, says the vaccine researcher.
Several of those who took the vaccine were diagnosed with narcolepsy, a sleep disorder.
Grødeland says this is unlikely to be repeated with the coronary vaccine.
SEVERAL REASONS: UiO vaccine researcher Gunnveig Grødeland believes that there are several reasons why people are skeptical of vaccines. Photo: Øystein H. Horgmo
– There are currently more than ten different companies that have phase three corona vaccines, and they are being tested on a large number of people. If one of those studies detects a serious side effect, the other companies will also specifically look for this side effect. There is a large body of data indicating that the vaccine is safe, he says.
Political influence
Another reason people show fear of vaccines, Grødeland believes, may be due to political influence in the race for a ready-to-use vaccine.
– People have realized that there is political influence in launching these vaccines as soon as possible. So you’re concerned that this goes beyond the quality of security testing, he says.
US President Donald Trump has said on several occasions that they have developed a vaccine at record speed and that he believes it will be ready before the US elections on November 3.
– It is important to emphasize that the researchers are quite unanimous that they will follow the requirements that have been established, regardless of the political guidelines that will come, says Grødeland and adds:
– You don’t want to be the one to send a vaccine that causes serious side effects. Our common interest is that they are tested as well as possible before they are used in a large part of the population.
Researchers in the US with a breakthrough in the search for the covid-19 blood test
Grødeland emphasizes that it is completely unique that he was so quick to develop a vaccine, but that it has its natural explanation.
– Many of the reasons it has gone so fast have been a greater degree of cooperation and dialogue. There is usually a huge apparatus of applications and evaluations.
Ready in early 2021
The vaccine researcher says that it can usually take 1 to 2 years quickly just between phases one and two. Now, more than ten vaccines have already entered phase three, and less than a year after the first cases of the virus were discovered.
– You also have unlimited funds to carry out what you are supposed to do, and that’s not common either, says Grødeland.
Since Norway is not directly involved in any of the vaccine projects that have been launched, Grødeland, like Stoltenberg, agrees that Norway needs to develop its own knowledge so that populations can more easily get answers to the questions they have.
Norway can receive three million doses of vaccines
– This means that we can get an unbiased perspective on the data and information provided. We have no interest in those vaccines that are not the best for the population, says Grødeland.
She believes that the first vaccines will be available in early 2021, although not for the entire population.
– It is a desirable situation that you keep several vaccines that can be used. It may be that one vaccine is better for one part of the population than the other. I believe that the more vaccines that are approved after phase three, the better it will be for the world’s population.
