67% citizens believe ‘made in India’ Covid-19 vaccines safer than those developed abroad: Survey

As per a survey, 67 per cent of citizens believe that ‘made in India’ Covid-19 vaccines are safer than those developed abroad.

As India’s cumulative vaccine coverage neared 178 crore, a survey revealed that 67 per cent of Indians believe that ‘made in India’ Covid-19 vaccines are safer than the vaccines developed in foreign countries.

The INDIA VAX-SCENE survey conducted by Saizen Global Insights & Consulting in collaboration with HEAL Foundation received 1,106 responses from citizens across nine metro cities in India. It sought to understand the opinion of the people around vaccines, their efficacy, and their role in combating the pandemic.

The survey respondents were of a mean age of 28.7 years. Among them, 45 per cent were women. Of them, 98 per cent believed in Covid-19 vaccines.

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The survey showed that 78-79 per cent of the respondents are optimistic about life going back to normal in the next 2-5 years, and 83 per cent believe that vaccines play a critical role in getting back to normal.

The survey revealed that over 90 per cent of Indians believe that the vaccine’s role is vital to fight against Covid-19, whereas over 85 per cent believe that vaccines are safe and effective, reposing their hope in the important role vaccines have been playing to fight the pandemic.

Speaking on the remarkable revelation of the survey, Dr Swadeep Srivastava, founder of HEAL Foundation said, “India VAX-SCENE Survey brings out how people have relied on credible sources for information on vaccines, side-lining misinformation available on social media. For vaccines, people relied only on professional advice, which is considered credible. Most people trust vaccine-related information coming from scientific bodies, and research institutes.”