(Bloomberg) -- The vast majority of Hong Kong parents are not willing to have their young children vaccinated against Covid-19, a survey released Tuesday found. 

Just one in 10 respondents said they were prepared to inoculate their five- to 12-year-olds, in an online survey of 11,141 parents conducted by the Education University of Hong Kong. Should schools require children to be vaccinated in order to resume face-to-face learning, 13.5% of parents said they would be willing to comply.

Almost 49% of respondents did not agree that vaccination would reduce the severity of a child’s Covid infection, while 84.5% of respondents were concerned about side effects from the shots.

The survey was conducted between Jan. 20 to 27, just as the highly infectious omicron strain was beginning to take hold in Hong Kong. The city, which has targeted an eradication strategy throughout the pandemic, was set to hit a record 1,100 new infections Wednesday, according to local media.

Read more: Hong Kong Curbs Private Gatherings With Tightest Covid Rules Yet

“Relevant authorities should strengthen the provision of information to parents about the efficacy and safety of children’s vaccination,” said Jianbin Li, an assistant professor at the university’s department of early childhood education. 

On Jan. 24, the Hong Kong government announced that in order to resume face-to-face classes, at least 70% of a school’s staff must be double vaccinated and 70% of students must have received either a single dose of the BioNTech SE vaccine or two doses of the shot made by Sinovac Biotech Ltd. 

Parents’ reticence to get their children vaccinated will come as a fresh blow to the government as it struggles to inoculate another demographic -- the elderly. Just 33% of over 80s have had their first shot, sparking fears that a large-scale outbreak could cost many lives and overwhelm the health system.

Read more: Hong Kong Recovery Imperiled by Elderly Saying No to Vaccine

 

 

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