When it comes to those who refuse to get vaccinated, only to catch COVID-19 later, a new survey suggests Canadians are a pretty unsympathetic bunch.
Angus Reid surveyed 1,615 Canadians who are members of its Angus Reid Forum between August 7 and August 10 and found three-quarters of them agreed with the statement, "I don't have a lot of sympathy for people who choose not to get vaccinated and then get COVID-19."
The survey is considered accurate with a margin of error +/- two percentage points 19 times out of 20.
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Those who have had both shots felt even stronger about it. Angus Reid said 53 per cent of those respondents said they strongly agreed with the statement, while 30 per cent just agreed.
Not surprisingly, the results were different among those who do not plan to be vaccinated. Eighty-two per cent said they either disagreed or strongly disagreed.
The survey suggested most Canadians are still taking precautions to protect themselves from COVID-19 regardless of their vaccination status. It said 91 per cent still regularly sanitize, 80 per cent continue to socially distance from others, and 79 per cent still wear a mask while indoors.
While some U.S. states have implemented lotteries and other incentives in a bid to boost vaccination rates, support for those measures is less popular among voters of all political leanings than mandating vaccines.
The survey said 40 per cent of Conservative supporters support mandatory shots, while 54 per cent of Liberals and 47 per cent of NDP voters prefer that method.
The poll came out on the same day Ontario's Medical Officer of Health is expected to introduce a plan to encourage education and healthcare workers to get vaccinated. Government officials have told the Canadian Press it won't make the vaccine against COVID-19 mandatory, but employers in those fields may be required to regularly test those who refuse to get a shot.
