Most South Africans don’t want Covid shot, many rely on prayer

About 54% of South Africans say they are unlikely to get a Covid-19 vaccine and almost half say they believe prayer provides more protection than the shots against contracting the disease, a survey showed.

The Afrobarometer survey of 1 600 South Africans highlights a hurdle for the government’s drive to inoculate two thirds of its 60 million people in a bid curb infections in the country, which is Africa’s worst hit by the disease, according to official statistics.

Hesitancy is highest among those below the age of 35 and among the poor, according to the survey.

The survey, conducted in May and June, has a 2.5 percentage point margin of error, Afrobarometer said on Wednesday.

South Africa has recorded more than 2.4 million coronavirus infections and almost 71 000 deaths. While over 7 million vaccine doses have been administered in the country just 2.69 million people are fully vaccinated.