Survey: 46.9 Percent of Brazilians Prefer to Wait for Results on Efficacy Before Vaccination

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazilians are split on a potential vaccine against Covid-19, according to a survey by the National Confederation of Transports (CNT) with the MDA Institute published on Monday, October 26th. The survey shows that 46.9 percent of respondents would rather wait for results in other people to then be vaccinated. On the other hand, 40.8 percent want to be immunized as soon as possible.

AstraZeneca pharmaceutical company announced that the vaccine against Covid-19 developed by Oxford University produces a similar immune response in older and younger adults and has minor adverse reactions among the elderly, signaling an important breakthrough and pointing to promising progress for researchers.

The purchase of a vaccine by the country is being challenged by President Jair Bolsonaro. On Monday, he said that Brazil can not rush to finance the doses. He also questioned whether it might not be better to invest in drugs rather than a vaccine, which would have the power to prevent the disease. According to the CNT/MDA survey, 11.7 percent of respondents said they do not want to take the vaccine.

For the majority of respondents (59.5 percent), it will be possible to have access to a dose of the immunizer next year. In this scenario, the resumption of in-person school classes is viewed with concern. The survey points out that 81.1 percent of parents still do not feel safe in sending their children to school.

In the same survey, the performance of the Jair Bolsonaro government during the Covid-19 pandemic is approved by 57 percent of the population. According to the MDA, the result is associated with the gradual increase in the President’s popularity during the crisis period.

The rate of approval of the management of the pandemic stood at 51.7 percent in April, in the first months after the spread of the disease in Brazil. The rate of people who disapprove of the federal government’s administration of the crisis dropped from 42 to 39 percent in five months, within the two percentage points error margin.

The aid to casual and unemployed workers boosted President Jair Bolsonaro’s popularity during the Covid-19 crisis. The benefit, initially set at R$600, fell to R$300 per month in the final months of the year. For 2021, the government intends to replace the benefit with a permanent basic income plan; however, so far it has not found a solution to finance the program.

With no prospect for next year, the emergency aid’s continuation is advocated by the majority of the population, according to the survey. Approximately 72 percent of respondents believe that the benefit should be paid for a few more months from January 2021.

In the survey, the rate of people who believe that the aid should end is much lower: 21 percent of respondents consider that the benefit should end in 2020 while five percent think that the government should have stopped the payments. The aid is perceived by 79 percent as “very important” for the population and the economy. Of the total, 42 percent of respondents receive the emergency payment.