Some statistics on disabled people and vaccines
Please note, this story is from the old ODI website, added to the Whaikaha website in July 2024, and external links may no longer be valid.
We have taken a look at results from the Ministry of Health's Horizon study - research that is part of an ongoing series that looks into New Zealanders’ attitudes and public sentiment towards the COVID-19 vaccines to see what we could unpack about disabled people.
Key statistics
From August 2021:
- 64% of those living with impairments or long-term health conditions and 61% of those who identify as disabled reported as already being vaccinated, in comparison to 53% of all respondents.
- 12% of those that identified as disabled reported being unlikely to get a COVID-19 vaccine, compared to 9% of all respondents
- Overall potential uptake by respondents who identify as disabled is 86%, same as all respondents
- People who reported living with impairments or long-term health conditions, or individuals who identified as disabled, were more concerned than average about:
- Whether the vaccine will adversely affect their existing medical conditions and symptoms.
- How the side effects would affect them.
- What might happen if they have an adverse reaction to the vaccine.
- Whether the vaccine might affect their health in other ways.
- Whether the vaccine may leave their health worse overall.
- Those who identified as disabled noted the following key influences for vaccination uptake:
- “Being vaccinated will protect me from the effects of COVID-19” (31%).
- “Information about side-effects” (27%).
- “The benefits of taking the vaccine would outweigh any risks” (24%).
- “Helping protect the health of my family/whānau and those closest to me” (23%).
- “Has been through extensive, properly conducted, clinical trials” (22%).
- “Helping reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection and the prospect of further lockdowns and economic harm” (20%).
Read more about the study on the Ministry of Health website. external URL