TORONTO - Canadians are becoming less and less ambivalent about the prospect of the H1N1 vaccine, and a majority of people say they either plan to roll up their sleeve to get the swine-flu shot or have already done so, a new poll suggests.
The results of the latest Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey suggest that public reticence about the vaccine is rapidly diminishing in the face of growing concern about the virus.
Forty-nine per cent of respondents said they intended to get the shot, while six per cent reported already having done so -- a sharp increase over a similar poll last month that found only about a third of those surveyed intended to get vaccinated.
Only 36 per cent of respondents said they had no plans to get the vaccine, a drop of 14 percentage points since early October.
Since that earlier poll, there have been a number of well-publicized deaths related to the pandemic, including 13-year-old Evan Frustaglio, an otherwise healthy Toronto-area student and hockey player whose sudden death last week was attributed to H1N1.
Such deaths have likely helped to galvanize public concern about the pandemic, particularly those cases that involved young, otherwise healthy individuals with no pre-existing health conditions, said Harris-Decima senior vice-president Doug Anderson.
"I believe that would have been counter-intuitive for what normally happens with a flu," Anderson said.
"I would say that's probably among the issues that are more likely to cause emotion and make people say, `I'm a little bit more concerned about this than I was."'
The number of respondents who said they were concerned about swine flu is reflected in the number who said they would get the shot, Anderson said -- 55 per cent said they were either very or somewhat concerned.
The poll also found that a majority of respondents are resigned to the fact they'll likely have to wait a while to get immunized.
Just five per cent said they expected to get the shot within the next few days, while 18 per cent expected it in the coming week. Twenty-eight per cent anticipated it taking up to two weeks, and 24 per cent the rest of the month.
The numbers also suggest Canadians are willing to be patient, Anderson said.
"It would look to me like Canadians are saying, `I get it. Either I can't or don't need to get it in the next 48 hours."'
The poll also found concern highest among respondents in Ontario and Atlantic Canada, with those in Quebec, Manitoba and Saskatchewan showing the least amount of concern.
Anderson said the survey suggests a majority of Canadians believe the vaccine is an effective tool that will protect them from swine flu, but also pointed to numbers that suggest some persistent myths concerning the nature of vaccines are still entrenched.
While 57 per cent said they believe the H1N1 shot would reduce their chances of catching the virus, 14 per cent expressed the fear that the vaccine could increase their chances of getting sick. Twenty-one per cent of respondents said they believed the vaccine would make no difference.
The poll surveyed 1,000 Canadians by phone between Oct. 29 and Nov. 1 and carries a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. The margin of error is slightly larger in the case of regional breakdowns, which are based on a smaller sample size.
More information about the poll is available at www.harrisdecima.com.
