Many Canadians "unconcerned" about Omicron, believe it is mild: survey
Even as we are warned about rising hospitalizations, a survey finds many Canadians aren’t worried about catching a severe Omicron infection.
Data from the Angus Reid Institute suggests many people across the country think catching the Omicron variant of COVID-19 would be “like a case of the flu.”
Breaking it down by the numbers, 49% of Canadians believe if they caught the virus, they would have serious but manageable symptoms, while a further one-third (36%) think their infection would be mild.
Angus Reid Institute
The survey also found women are more likely than men to believe they will have a severe outcome if they are infected by COVID-19.
Angus Reid Institute
There are also some differences across Canada, with people on the Prairies more likely to believe they would only have mild symptoms if they were infected.
Meanwhile, one-in-five (18%) in New Brunswick worry they would end up in hospital if they caught the virus — the highest number.
While the majority of Canadians have received a vaccine to protect against COVID-19, almost all of the unvaccinated (94%) believe they could manage a COVID-19 infection.
Twice as many unvaccinated Canadians think the symptoms would be minor (62%) as they think it would be more like a case of the flu (31%).
The second part of the survey asked Canadians about whether or not our strategy should change to help people in other countries receive vaccines. But sentiment is split, with 46% believing it’s time to shift the focus to vaccinating those in less wealthy countries, while two-in-five (39%) disagree.
For the first time, plurality want Canada to shift its vaccination efforts to focus on less wealthy countrieshttps://t.co/ZRfMUIYtKk pic.twitter.com/rgEg44W5jZ
— Angus Reid Institute (@angusreidorg) January 26, 2022
Follow Channels and Categories