By Cate McCurry, PA
One in four Irish people said they have tested positive to Covid-19 – with 18 per cent saying they have been ill from it, a survey has found.
The survey also reveals that 90 per cent of Irish people know others who have tested positive for the virus, up 21 percentage points on the May 2021 survey, while 77 per cent know people who have been ill from it.
The figures were contained in a new Eurobarometer survey on Attitudes on vaccination against Covid-19.
It found that 85 per cent of Irish respondents are vaccinated against Covid-19 and have received a booster shot or would like to get one – the eighth highest figure in the EU after Portugal, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Denmark and Sweden.
Some 5 per cent of people in Ireland say they are vaccinated but do not want to get a booster dose or are not yet vaccinated but want to get vaccinated.
The survey found that 6 per cent of people are not vaccinated against Covid-19 and will not get vaccinated in the future. The EU average is 8 per cent.
Some 80 per cent agreed that serious diseases have disappeared because of vaccines, with 82 per cent saying that the benefits of Covid vaccines outweigh the risks.
The survey also found that 80 per cent of respondents believe vaccines authorised in the EU are safe, while 74 per cent agreed vaccines are the only way to end the pandemic.
It reveals that more than two thirds of people do not understand why people are reluctant to get vaccinated.
More than half of those who responded in the survey agree that Covid-19 vaccines could have long-term side effects that we do not know yet.
It also found that 71 per cent of Irish people agree that everyone should get vaccinated against Covid-19 because it is a civic duty, above the EU average of 67 per cent.
Almost half of the respondents said that Covid-19 vaccination should be compulsory, well below the EU average of 56 per cent. Italians were most likely to agree at 73 per cent.
Almost half of people also said it is acceptable to restrict access to some events or places for people who refuse to get vaccinated. The EU average was 45 per cent with Italians most likely to agree at 55 per cent.
It found that some three quarters of people are satisfied with the way their government has handled the vaccination strategy, joint second highest in the EU with Denmark.
On average, 49% of EU citizens were happy with the way their government has handled the vaccination strategy.
Some 75 per cent of Irish respondents said they were satisfied with the way the EU has handled the vaccination strategy, second highest after Portugal.
Irish respondents were most likely to trust health professionals, doctors, nurses and pharmacists when it comes to getting reliable information on Covid-19 vaccines.
A majority also trusted national health authorities. On average, 62 per cent of EU citizens trusted health professionals, doctors, nurses and pharmacists while 49 per cent trusted national health authorities.
