When it comes to combating COVID-19, Meduza readers choose lockdown over vaccination

On June 23, Meduza asked readers to share their opinions on Russia’s attempts to defeat the latest coronavirus surge. Among other things, we asked about mandatory vaccination, temporary lockdown restrictions, and whether or not the Russian authorities should allow the import of foreign vaccines. Nearly 56,000 Meduza readers responded to the survey (and we’re very grateful for your help, thank you!). As it turns out, more than half of the respondents have yet to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, despite widespread fear of the disease and its new variants.

Here’s how Meduza readers responded to questions about vaccination against COVID-19:

• Most importantly, and unfortunately, 54 percent of Meduza readers haven’t been vaccinated against COVID-19 — they haven’t even received the first jab. (Vaccination is the most effective way to stop the coronavirus pandemic and save lives. If you haven’t already, we recommend getting vaccinated).
• That said, 77 percent of respondents said that they’re afraid for themselves and their loved ones because of the coronavirus and its new strains.
• At the same time, 40 percent said that they don’t want to persuade their loved ones to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
• The majority of Meduza readers are only in favor of voluntary vaccination. Just 28 percent support mandatory vaccination, which has already been introduced in Moscow and several other Russian regions.
• The overwhelming majority — 85 percent of respondents — believe that the authorities should allow the import of foreign vaccines into Russia. Only 2 percent of survey participants opposed the idea (another 13 percent said they didn’t care).
• In addition, 50 percent of those surveyed said that the Russian vaccines haven’t been sufficiently studied. (Though there are indeed questions about the effectiveness of some of Russia’s coronavirus vaccines, the available data indicates that the Sputnik V vaccine works well).

And here’s what Meduza readers think about Russia’s other public health measures:

• Starting from June 28, cafes, restaurants, and bars in Moscow will only be open to those who have received a special QR code confirming that they’ve been vaccinated, had their PCR test come back negative, or recovered from the coronavirus in the past six months. Asked about these measures, 42 percent of Meduza readers supported them, while 50 percent were opposed.
• At the same time, 65 percent were in favor of tough, but short-term, restrictions. For example, banning events with more than 10 people, closing most stores, and introducing a curfew.
• Overall, 31 percent of Meduza readers supported temporary lockdown restrictions as the most effective public health measure. By comparison, 19 percent said mandatory vaccination and 9 percent said banning unvaccinated people from attending public events. Another 22 percent supported introducing all of these measures at the same time, while 18 percent opposed any of these restrictions.