BRAND-CONSCIOUS: Canadians want a choice of vaccines, says new survey

A survey report released this week by the Canadian Pharmacists Association sheds light on an important factor for Canadians when considering their COVID-19 jab: choice of vaccine. “While we’ve encouraged people to get the first vaccine available to them, we learned from our survey that Canadians want to be able to choose what vaccine they get,” said Joelle Walker, vice president, public affairs and professional affairs at the CPhA. “What this tells us is that, for those who are vaccine-hesitant, choice is an important consideration. So governments have to make sure pharmacists have access to a full range of vaccines.” According to the survey, which was conducted between July 5 and July 8 by Ottawa-based Abacus Data, one in four Canadian adults are still unvaccinated. Among this group, 60% considered the ability to choose the brand of vaccine as their most important consideration. Just under 40% said convenience mattered the most to them. Choice of vaccine is even more important for those who have already had their first dose, with almost 70% citing this as a top factor in getting their second dose. Convenience was also critical to this group—65% said ease of access to the vaccination site was a prime factor. The survey also provided insight into how Canadians feel about being vaccinated against COVID-19. More than 30% of those who haven’t had their first dose said they will not, under any circumstances, get the vaccine. Roughly the same percentage said they prefer to wait while just over 15% said they prefer not to be vaccinated but could be persuaded to change their mind. Walker said understanding how Canadians feel about the vaccine can help the country’s governments in their ongoing immunization efforts, and with planning for the possibility of COVID-19 booster shots. When asked about getting protection from new variants and maintaining their immunity against the virus, more than 70% said they’d be willing to get their booster shot at a community pharmacy. “Decision-makers need to take this into account when thinking about the long-term future of COVID vaccines,” said Walker. “Looking at the potential that we will have to have booster shots in the coming months, are governments going to continue with mass vaccination sites or rely on community pharmacists for these boosters?” Beyond the pandemic, it’s clear from the survey results that Canadians trust pharmacists to administer a wide range of vaccines. Walker pointed to the 87% of respondents who said they feel comfortable getting their routine immunizations from their pharmacist. Canadians also gave pharmacists a big thumbs-up for their role in administering vaccines, with more than 80% saying pharmacists know how to administer vaccines safely and were knowledgeable about vaccines. Pharmacies were also considered by 85% of respondents to be safe and private vaccination sites. “We’ve known for a while that pharmacists are really sought after when it comes to getting vaccines—they’ve been immunizing Canadians for influenza every year,” said Walker. “It’s now a question of getting governments to fully see the value of pharmacists in immunization.”

BRAND-CONSCIOUS: Canadians want a choice of vaccines, says new survey

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