Some statistics on disabled people and vaccines

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.