People queue at Malaga's Palacio de Ferias to be vaccinated. File photograph. ÑITO SALAS

Around 18,000 people in Malaga province categorically refuse to be Covid jabbed

Across Andalucía the number of people who have declined a coronavirus vaccination is estimated to be 93,000

Tuesday, 5 October 2021 | Updated 07/10/2021 08:40h.

The Covid-19 vaccines have proven their effectiveness in combating the disease, especially in its most serious phases, thus avoiding hospital admissions and deaths. But, despite the scientific evidence, some 18,000 people from Malaga province have categorically refused to be vaccinated, a number that reaches around 93,000 across Andalucía.

In Malaga there are 1,247,396 people with the complete vaccination schedule and 1,284,701 with at least one dose and, although convincing those who do not want to be jabbed is difficult, health professionals are redoubling their efforts to try and achieve it.

People who are reluctant to be vaccinated are usually called by doctors and, mainly, nurses, who have solid arguments to try to get the reluctant population to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. They explain that the vaccine is safe and with minor side effects. In addition, they emphasise that, in most cases, that patients admitted to hospitals with the virus were not vaccinated. They say that not only is a jab an ‘individual protective shield’ against SARS-CoV-2 but it benefits society as a whole.

Angry

The responses given by the people who are anti-Covid vaccines and called by telephone (sometimes up to four or five times) are varied. Some reply emphatically, but in a polite way, that they do not believe in the vaccine, that they do not want to be jabbed and ask that they are not called again, after they have refused several calls to try to get them to a vaccination point. Others, on the other hand, get angry, shout and demand that they do not want to receive any more calls to be vaccinated.

There are also people who are hesitant and say that they are thinking about it, that they are still not sure. Other people, given the reasoning given by the healthcare professional who call them, agree to be vaccinated - but don’t show up at the appointment often saying that an unforeseen event arose that prevented them from going. “They have excuses one after another," said the sources consulted.

Rejection

The age group in which health professionals find the greatest rejection of the vaccine is that of the population between 30 and 50 years of age. "Those over 50 are almost all vaccinated, as well as those under 30," sources have told SUR.

Around 10 per cent of those called by medical centres or health districts finally agree to to be given the injection that protects from the virus.