86% fear job losses as coronavirus scare mounts: Survey

Worries about job losses are the highest in the country as 86 percent being worried about losing their jobs and livelihood post-COVID-19 lockdowns.

PTI

May 05, 2020 / 16:34 IST

A survey has found a vast majority of the citizens -- 86 percent of those polled to be precise -- are worried about losing their jobs and livelihoods due to the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. Also, a vast majority of those polled (84 percent) not only believe that the epidemic is still in its early stages and also rapidly accelerating, while those in the US, which is the worst hit with over 68,000 deaths and over 1.3 million infections, Britain and Australia believe the pandemic is tapering off. Hongkongers believe the virus is already tamed.

Worries about job losses are the highest in the country as 86 percent being worried about losing their jobs and livelihood post-COVID-19 lockdowns. In comparison, this is only 31 percent in Britain, 33 percent in Australia and 41 percent in the US and a high 71 percent Hongkongers fear job loses, says the survey.

According to the fourth leg of a five-country (the US, Britain, India, Australia and Hong Kong) online opinion poll by the British research firm Crosby Textor (CT) Group, carried out between April 23 and 27, as much as 84 percent of Indians polled are very satisfied with the way government has been dealing with the crisis so far, as against on other countries where the popularity of their governments have been plunging.

According to Atul Jhamb, chairman of Crosby Textor India, a part of the London-based parent that specialises in opinion polls, strategic communications and a corporate and political advisory, "despite being satisfied with the government efforts to contain the virus, as much as 86 percent Indians have a high level of concern of losing their livelihood and employment due to the pandemic, which is higher than their peers elsewhere.

While 84 percent Indians are very happy with government handling the pandemic, this is a low 43 percent in the US, 56 percent in Britain, and 53 percent in Hong Kong while 71 percent in Australia.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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