ACT government research finds small portion of people received vaccine reluctantly

Research into vaccine hesitancy in the capital found a small portion of people had received the jab reluctantly and targeted campaigns may need to be developed to ensure this group will come forward for booster shots or to get their children vaccinated.

Australia's booster shot program will start for the general public this week, with top-up doses available to people who received their second vaccine dose at least six months ago.

However, a majority of the population won't be eligible for their booster shots until 2022 and there are fears a sense of complacency will set in and people may not come forward to receive their top-up.

Any campaign to encourage booster shots would be focused on providing factual information about the vaccine.

"The ACT government continues to focus on providing factual information about the COVID-19 vaccines and the benefits of vaccinations for individuals and the community," an ACT government spokeswoman said.

"There has been targeted messaging into particular sectors of the community who may not have had access to that information previously and there has been a strong effort to provide more access to vaccinations through localised pop-up clinics where medical staff are available onsite to answer questions and provide further information about the vaccines."

The ACT government commissioned research in the days before the Canberra lockdown in an attempt to understand why people were hesitant to get the jab. Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the research would be used to inform messaging but only when every Canberran had the opportunity to get vaccinated.

However, as the ACT's first dose vaccination rate reached above 99 per cent, as vaccine supply increased, the research had to adapt its findings with a focus on a longer-term view.

The findings could even be used in the coming weeks if there is a drop in the number of people coming forward for their second dose.

"While the first dose vaccination rate is above 99 per cent, there are still several thousand people who still need to get their second dose," the spokeswoman said.

"We are tracking the numbers closely and if we do start to see a drop off in second dose vaccination the information we have garnered through their research will assist us to craft targeted messages to reach these people.

"This messaging will address the possible reasons they have not followed up on a second dose and highlight the benefits of completing their primary course of COVID-19 vaccinations."

Researchers found there were no specific cohorts or groups in the territory that were hesitant to the vaccine, nor was there a rampant "anti-vaccine" sentiment in any parts of the community.

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People that were hesitant expressed concerns around vaccines being developed too quickly, fears over possible side-effects or had been exposed to misinformation online. Researchers found these people had benefited from conversations with doctors or health professionals prior to receiving the vaccine, as opposed to getting the jab at a mass clinic.

Vaccine hesitant people also wanted to be recognised and treated with empathy over their reluctance. They had reported feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information and felt pressured by both sides of the debate.

Canberra's outbreak may also have played a role in the high vaccine take-up due to the promise of exiting lockdown, a situation that has been mirrored in other states where there has been an outbreak.

Thirty people were interviewed as part of the initial stages of the research and this was followed by a broader survey. Focus groups were also conducted.

The ACT government is unable to calculate the exact number of people in the territory who will be unvaccinated due to the estimated population dataset, which cannot pick up real-time changes to the population.

The government spokeswoman said there were still individuals in the ACT who were unvaccinated and work was ongoing to offer vaccines to this group. She said the number was less than 1 per cent.

There are about 1200 first dose vaccine bookings remaining at ACT government vaccine clinics.

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