Behavioral scientists advising the government have warned that, in the absence of a clear communication campaign, the distribution of vaccines will force people to block Covid before they are taken.
The researchers fear that adherence to the guidelines could fall among vaccine groups, but also among those who believe there is no longer a high risk to older and more vulnerable people, as the program progresses. forward vaccination.
The warning comes in a document published Friday from the Behavioral Science subgroup of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), which confirms that the introduction of protection certificates could reduce messages and increase community tensions worse as the country emerges from lockdown.
In the paper, dated February 10, the scientists outline how perceptions of the risk from Covid may differ as vaccine targets are met, with some people not do not feel that restrictions should be placed on them. “Complaints may be escalated if those who have been vaccinated receive some form of certification, allowing them to escape local restrictions,” they note.
The document highlights the importance of managing expectations for the coming year. The ONS Attitude and Lifestyle study found that 17% of adults expected life to return to normal in six months or less, a situation described as “optimistic” by the latest model, even in the absence of new changes that may call for “sudden, tight reset of steps”.
“Setting reasonable expectations of length, pattern and purpose that are likely to follow or impose sudden restrictions may help people to plan, improving their understanding of effectiveness. interventions and improving the legitimacy of interventions as perceived, ”the document adds.
Another Sage document released Friday outlines the latest predictions for epilepsy. Written by outbreak models advising Sage, the report expects hospitals in England to fall below 500 per day, and deaths below 200 per day, by mid-March, figures a last seen in October. On Friday, the UK recorded a further 345 Covid deaths within 28 days of a positive trial, 300 of which were in England.