80% Finns believe COVID-19 vaccines safe, effective: survey

Close to 80 percent of people in Finland believe that COVID-19 vaccines are both safe and effective, showed a survey conducted by Finnish Business and Policy Forum (EVA), reported Xinhua.

According to an EVA press release on Tuesday, 87 percent of respondents have either already received a vaccine or are intending to take it with certainty or are likely to take it.

Of the age groups, people over the age of 65 are the most positive about taking the vaccines, and 98 percent of them have either already received the vaccines or are at least likely to do so.

Willingness to vaccinate is also particularly strong among academically educated people, and 94 percent of them have taken or are at least likely to take the vaccines.

"The more positive attitude of retirees towards vaccines may be explained by the age-related risk of the novel coronavirus. On the other hand, another explanation can be found in the past: people over the age of 65 have lived through a time when dangerous infectious diseases were brought under control with vaccines," explained EVA in the press release.

The extensive readiness of Finns to get vaccinated seems to be explained by their confidence in the benefits and safety of the vaccines.

About 80 percent of Finns always consider that the benefits of the vaccines outweigh the disadvantages, even if the vaccines show side effects. Only 12 percent disagree with the opinion.

Around 77 percent of the respondents believed that the efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccines have been ensured.

The confidence in vaccines increases with age. The more positive attitude of retirees towards vaccines may also be explained by the increased risk of the virus with age, said EVA.

Despite the positive views on vaccines, Finns also see risks in vaccines. Fifty-eight percent of the respondents believed that vaccines are never completely safe. Concerns about side effects were expressed by 43 percent, but 55 percent of Finns considered that side effects are not a worry.

The materials of the survey were collected between March and April this year. A total of 2,059 people participated in the survey, said EVA.

According to Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare, COVID-19 vaccinations in Finland have progressed rapidly. As of Tuesday, more than two million Finns have already received the first dose of a vaccine, accounting for 38.3 percent of the population. Vaccination coverage in those over 70 years of age was nearly 90 percent.