Jabs not Abs: 57% of yet-to-be-vaccinated under 25s schedule vaccine appointments ahead of summer holidays
Being ‘beach body ready’ for your holiday this year only requires one quick workout: A walk to your local vaccine centre.
Holidays in the sun are back! With the recent government u-turn on an ‘amber watchlist’ and cases falling in Spain, it’s no surprise many sun-seekers are pushing for a late summer getaway this month. Travel Weekly reported this morning that 36% of searches via a popular price comparison site were for last-minute August departures.
myGP, the healthcare management and vaccine verification app, polled 1,000 under-25s and discovered that 57% of those who had yet to be vaccinated had now scheduled their appointment. As photos of sunsets and tan lines brighten up Instagram feeds once again, it’s no surprise that more and more young people are keen to get vaccinated. In an interview with BBC’s Today programme, Professor Sam Everington confirmed that there were “lots of people who want to get their second vaccination early so they can go abroad.” Two thirds of young adults in the UK have now received their first jab – meaning they are the most vaccinated of their age group, globally.
With the cost of unvaccinated travel adding an eyewatering £233 per person to the holiday bill, it’s no surprise many would prefer to produce a free vaccine certificate at the gate and save their money for a well-deserved hotel-upgrade. Even amongst those planning a UK staycation, vaccination was still front of mind. Research conducted by myGP earlier this summer revealed 49% would take local vaccination uptake into consideration when choosing their destination.
The return of shows such as Love Island may have also contributed to this summer vaccine demand, with young people keen to get abroad themselves, rather than watching others enjoy the sun from their couch. 2021 contestant Brad McClelland was recently praised for setting a “vaccine example in getting second jab” following his time on the show. NHS Coventry and Warwickshire also got involved with a tweet inspired by Love Island’s iconic “I’ve got a text” catchphrase, letting patients know about invites for earlier appointments to help “crack on with your #Summer2021.”
The poll from myGP identified making up for lost time as a priority amongst under-25s, with 36.8% of those with appointments currently booked planning to be fully vaccinated ahead of the potential introduction of vaccine passports in nightclubs, stadiums and other indoor venues later this Autumn. Even amongst the 17.7% who did not currently intend to get the vaccine, one in six would be swayed should vaccine passports to their favourite venues become mandatory. This finding is in line with other recent research into public perception of vaccine passports, which saw 72.5% in support of the decision to introduce vaccine passports in September. In fact, 72% of the 1,000 people polled also expected vaccine passports to become the new norm beyond large capacity venues.
myGP, England’s largest independent healthcare management and vaccine verification app, is used by over 2.3m people in England to manage their health. The myGP app, created in 2014, is an NHS-assured provider of online access to primary care services. They were granted NHS assurance in 2019, certifying them as a secure and recognised place for patients to access healthcare services, including medical record access. The myGP TICKet feature Is available only if requested by the patient, and has been self-funded by iPLATO Healthcare ltd, the developers of the app.
