As the world battles with growing cases of Covid-19, a recent Ipsos MORI poll has found that vaccine hesitancy is now transitioning into a global enthusiasm for access.

The issue of supply has recently made the rounds with AstraZeneca informing the European Commission that there would be a major shortfall in the number of doses it is contracted to supply in the first quarter of 2021. The EU has now said they might initiate plans to stop the exportation of vaccines amid reports it would only receive half the AstraZeneca doses it purchased during the first few months of the year.

Experts previously warned that vaccine hesitancy was set to become one of the major obstacles in ending the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to Ipsos MORI, vaccine hesitancy could be blamed on false information coming from “the wrong corners of the web”. However, the decline in hesitancy is more likely down because of the increase in covid cases coupled with the emergence of deadlier mutations of the virus. As of mid-January, willingness was highest in Brazil, China and the UK at over 80 %.

According to Ipsos MORI, vaccine hesitancy could be blamed on false information coming from “the wrong corners of the web”

It was far lower in the U.S. at 63%, though that figure is still higher than in many other countries such as France, South Africa and Russia. France has worried experts due to its consistently high level of vaccine hesitancy. In late December, only 40 % of people in France said they would be vaccinated but the good news is that the figure has now climbed to 55 %. In Spain, it has also jumped an impressive 16 % to reach 78%.