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Norway is completely reliant on strong support for a covid-19 vaccine to halt the ongoing epidemic and the first doses of the vaccine may be in place as early as winter 2021. However, a recent survey shows that 4 in 10 Norwegians will not take a vaccine now.
The researcher at the Department of Immunology and Transfusion Medicine at the University of Oslo (UiO), Gunnveig Grødeland, has decided that she will be vaccinated against covid-19.
– Yes, Grødeland answers in cash when he receives the same question as the participants in the Ipsos survey.
– It is simply because I know that the probability of side effects is basically low with the types of vaccine chosen. I think the results are due to the fact that they were asked to get vaccinated next week. Many people know that the main vaccine candidates are still in phase three and that this data will take time to complete and analyze, he tells Dagbladet.
Anne Spurkland, an immunologist and professor in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences at UiO, will also take a covid-19 vaccine.
– I am willing to be vaccinated against covid-19, but I know that it is not possible to complete a vaccine next week. That is why I also understand the responses to the population. If you’re going to take a COVID-19 vaccine next week, it should be as a participant in a trial for a vaccine candidate in phase three, Spurkland tells Dagbladet.
Uncertainty
The survey was conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Dagbladet and 926 people participated. The results show that 49 percent respond that they are willing to receive a Covid-19 vaccine if it is available next week. 39% answer that they are not willing to do it, while 12% are not sure.
Experts agree that the main reason for the survey results is probably that the population knows that there will not be a vaccine that is approved for use in the population until next week.
Spurkland mentions two other possible causes of uncertainty: the speed of development and Donald Trump.
– It takes time to develop a vaccine. Previously, the fastest vaccine had been developed in four years, while now a vaccine will be developed for months. Experts in the field refer to this as fast speed. And precisely this speed of development can create uncertainty among the population, says Spurkland and continues:
– The processes observed in other countries can also generate uncertainty. For example, concerns have been raised that Donald Trump may influence health authorities to urgently approve a vaccine to win the election, without a solid professional foundation.
Concern
In another recent Ipsos survey, 28 percent of the population say it is unlikely or unlikely that they will take a COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available. Among them, 64 percent responded that they are concerned about side effects.
– This is probably because many have realized that the AstraZeneca / Oxford vaccine was stopped due to possible side effects in one of the trial participants, says Grødeland.
However, he notes that this is a completely normal procedure in these types of clinical studies and considers it a sign of quality. Following an independent investigation, the British Medicines Agency gave AstraZeneca the green light to resume vaccine testing.
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Swine flu
Grødeland says the other cause for concern about side effects may be that Scandinavia was hit by side effects from the swine flu vaccine in 2009.
– Thus, many may be left with the feeling that it can happen again. But exactly that cannot happen with the vaccine against this coronavirus, because this was a side effect of the swine flu virus itself. So I can say that the vaccine types we have chosen now are probably very safe, says Grødeland and elaborates:
– Covid-19 vaccines contain only virus fragments, which means that you have very good control over where the immune response is directed, allowing you to assess what possible side effects may occur.
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The solution
Grødeland and Spurkland are also in complete agreement on what is needed to increase confidence in a COVID-19 vaccine among the Norwegian population.
– The most important thing the Norwegian health authorities can do to increase confidence in covid-19 vaccines is to report on the effect they have and what we know and do not know about them. So far, we know little about the effect of the various vaccines, but it is being studied at the moment, says Grødeland.
Spurkland believes this will have a significant effect.
– I think that people’s confidence in a covid-19 vaccine will be significantly higher the moment there is more information that the vaccine has a protective effect against the disease. Health authorities should then communicate this information in order to increase public confidence in the vaccine.
