Implication that ‘infections don’t matter’ could put young off Covid vaccine

Young people could have been put off getting a coronavirus jab due to an implication that “infections don’t matter,” a leading psychologist has said. Stephen Reicher, professor of psychology at the University of St Andrews, said more must be done to make younger adults aware that vaccination is a matter of personal and social responsibility. The expert, who sits on the government advisory group Scientific Pandemic Insights Group on Behaviours (Spi-B), called for clear and consistent messaging to signal that the pandemic is not over. “In many ways the implication has been there that infections don’t matter,” he told Times Radio.