Only 7 per cent of the Indian adult population is currently hesitant towards getting jabbed with a Covid-19 vaccine, a new survey has revealed. This is the lowest vaccine hesitancy against the virus in the country so far since the nationwide vaccination rollout began in January this year.

The survey was conducted by an online community platform LocalCircles where responses of as many as 12,810 citizens from across 301 districts across the country were recorded, with 67 per cent being men and 33 per cent being women.

In an earlier survey conducted by LocalCircles as well, vaccine hesitancy among Indians stood at 60% when it was first rolled out. It reduced significantly during the dangerous second wave of the Covid-19 between April and May.

India has so far vaccinated more than 92 crore eligible beneficiaries, with over 41 lakh shots administered on Wednesday till the time of writing this report. As far as coronavirus cases are concerned, the country recorded 18,833 new infections in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative tally to 3,38,71,881. With 24,770 fresh recoveries logged, the total number of recovered patients stands at 3,31,75,656. The recovery rate has also shot up to 97.94 per cent – the highest since March 2020. As many as 278 people succumbed to the virus on Wednesday, following the death toll now stands at 4,49,538, according to data shared by the Union health ministry’s bulletin.

How many Indians are still unsure about the efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines?

In the survey, it was found that 27 per cent of the participants don’t plan to take the vaccine yet since they are not convinced whether the currently available options will offer adequate protection against coronavirus and its future variants, LocalCircles founder Sachin Taparia said.

He pointed out that these sceptical individuals may end up getting jabbed with a coronavirus vaccine if more data pertaining to it is made available or if different vaccines come to the market.

Taparia further stated that when the 7 per cent of the Indian adult population who are reluctant to be administered the vaccine are applied to the unvaccinated population of 26 crore adults in the country, “it amounts to 7 crore citizens still hesitant” of the needle.

How many Indians are willing to be vaccinated against coronavirus?

According to the LocalCircles survey, a total of 46 per cent of the respondents who are yet to be jabbed said that they plan to get inoculated with their first dose soon, Taparia said.

The data shared by the Union health ministry’s bulletin on Wednesday showed that as many as 70,80,17,908 of Indians, aged between 18 and 59, have either received the first dose or been fully-jabbed with both shots of Covid-19 vaccine.

What was the demographic distribution of the respondents?

In the survey, participants from tier 1 cities accounted for 42 per cent, while 27 per cent were from tier 2 cities. As many as 31 per cent of the respondents were from tier 3, 4 and rural districts.

What was the reason behind the scepticism towards being vaccinated against Covid-19?

According to the LocalCircles survey, respondents cited quick clinical trials, hasty vaccine approvals, safety concerns, and side-effects as some of the reasons behind their apprehension towards being jabbed.

Furthermore, there were some participants who had medical conditions and pointed out concerns of potential blood-clotting. Some respondents even cited Covid-19 going away as the reason for not getting vaccinated.

Besides these, myths and misinformation revolving around the vaccines were restraining the respondents from getting inoculated with the shot.

(With inputs from PTI)