"It's the great paradox of the pandemic," says Dr Simon Williams... "One of the most successful innovations in public health history, the rapid development of Covid vaccines, has actually had the effect of reducing public confidence in vaccination."
In 2023 around 70% of UK adults said that vaccinations were safe and effective, down sharply from 90% in 2018, according to research from the Vaccine Confidence Project... 52 of the 55 countries polled saw a drop in confidence since 2019.
Regular polling carried out by YouGov suggests adults are increasingly likely to say that vaccines have harmful side effects that are not being disclosed... 30% in 2024 from 19% in 2019.
"Vaccines are always our best defence against infectious, communicable diseases," adds Dr Williams. "A few percentage drops in the proportion of children covered can make a real difference."
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