Risk Seeking Attitudes Towards COVID-19 Vaccination and the Role of HCPs in Norway and Pakistan

The health impact of COVID-19 is likely to have lasting impacts on the approach to safety in multiple sectors. Governments have facilitated an unprecedented effort to fast-track, develop and roll out a worldwide vaccination program. Vaccination is seen as a life-saving intervention for at-risk groups and a key component of reliability in healthcare. Most countries share a commitment to large-scale vaccination to counter COVID-19. Yet, variations have been observed and several vaccine safety problems have been discussed, including within the medical profession. This paper presents a qualitative analysis of risk perception approached through the lens of medical intervention by Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) in charge of administering the COVID-19 vaccination. It is based on 20 semi-structured interviews conducted in 2020 with HCPs from Norway (N10) and Pakistan (N10). The research points to several causalities and motivational conversations with HCPs that may affect safety. Myths and the unavailability of reality and truth are the main concerns observed in Pakistan. HCPs from Norway, on the other hand, have indicated that the willingness of the patients and support from family members are key motivations. There, risk-seeking attitudes are influenced by the scare of side effects and negative media reports, and lack of trust in the vaccines. This research concludes on the need for more research for linking our understanding of risk-seeking attitudes to safety and reliability decisions.

Keywords: COVID-19 Safety, Risk-seeking attitudes, Vaccination, Risk communication, Reliability in healthcare.

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