Amy Blaney Two in five people believe the Covid-19 pandemic will never be fully over, according to research carried out by Ipsos for the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA). The research, measuring public attitudes to Covid-19 vaccination and to vaccination in general, shows that half of people believe the Covid-19 pandemic will end eventually while 39 per cent believe it will never fully be over. Just 10 per cent believe the pandemic has already ended. More than four in five people, or 82 per cent, believe vaccines are effective while 76 per cent of people trust the medical evidence about vaccines. More than half of people could spontaneously name four vaccine-preventable diseases, with Covid-19, measles, mumps and rubella cited most often. Just under half of people, or 48 per cent, have not received adult vaccinations for diseases other than Covid-19. These diseases could include flu, mumps, rubella, Hepatitis B, whooping cough and pneumococcal disease.

Covid vaccine

The survey found that 91 per cent of people have been vaccinated for Covid-19, with three in four people having received at least one booster vaccine dose for the disease. One in four people, or 25 per cent, say they are more likely to get vaccinated for other diseases as a result of getting protected against Covid-19. Bernard Mallee, IPHA’s Director of Communications and Advocacy, said: “Covid-19 vaccination has substantially altered the course of the pandemic, saving tens of millions of lives globally. But people are far from putting the pandemic behind them. “Epidemiologists say the pattern of recurring waves is likely to persist. Ensuring that we have answers for variants of concern is the work of scientists in our industry. That work is enabled by stable intellectual property rights. “That we have very strong levels of vaccination, including take-up of booster doses, shows that people have confidence in science as the best defence against infection. Vaccination is effective in stopping serious illness and death."