WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Moscow will reimpose a partial lockdown on Thursday and workplaces will shut down nationwide for a week on Saturday to deal with Russia's latest surge in the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the death toll rises, Russia is being forced to take these measures because of the country's low vaccination rates and high hesitancy. Before the recent surge, 23% of Russians interviewed this summer said they had been vaccinated. While official vaccination rates are higher now -- approaching 32% as some workers are required to have them -- the country still faces considerable headwinds.
Among those who had not been vaccinated, 75% of Russians said they would not agree to take a free vaccine if it were offered. This means that at the time, about 58% of all Russians said they would not get the vaccine.
| May-July, 2021 | |
|---|---|
| % | |
| Have you been vaccinated against coronavirus in the past 12 months? | |
| Yes | 23 |
| No | 77 |
| Would you agree to be vaccinated?* | |
| Yes, would agree | 25 |
| No, would not agree | 75 |
| * Russians who said they had not been vaccinated were asked: "Vaccines are given to people to help prevent specific diseases. If a vaccine to prevent coronavirus was available to you right now at no cost, would you agree to be vaccinated?" | |
| Â鶹´«Ã½AV | |
Russian authorities, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, are entreating Russians to get vaccinated. But their pleas may only go so far. Unvaccinated Russians who said they are confident in their national government were more likely to say they would get a vaccine if offered -- but just 34% would, compared with 19% of those who lack confidence in their government.
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