Confidence in COVID-19 vaccines among Ontarians remains stable: science group

A science advisory group says overall confidence in COVID-19 vaccines among Ontarians has remained relatively stable.

In a brief released late Friday, the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table says confidence in COVID-19 vaccines has remained within the range of 72 per cent to 76 per cent.

The group says survey data from 28,660 Ontarians revealed that people with lower confidence in COVID-19 vaccines tend to have a lower household income, are more likely to be unable to work from home and self-identify as racialized.

Vaccine hesitancy is associated with a complex set of factors including health inequities, systemic barriers to accessing health-care and mistrust in government and health-care institutions.

The science group says vaccine hesitancy is highest among the same groups who have experienced a disproportionate burden of COVID-19 outcomes.

It is calling for more community-tailored engagement, outreach and interventions to address the drivers of vaccine hesitancy and increase vaccine uptake in certain groups.