Vaccine sceptics: With vaccines seemingly just around the corner which countries first need to convince their populations they are safe?

12/3/20 7:00PM

The vaccines are coming, but will people take them? According to data from Ipsos, the intentions of people across many countries to get a COVID-19 vaccine, if one were available, have been mostly falling since the summer.

‍Je suis sceptique

‍The French population is among the most sceptical. Only 54% of those polled in France totally agree that they would get a COVID-19 vaccine. Scepticism of vaccines in France is undoubtedly influenced by what happened in 2009, when France ordered millions of Euros worth of flu vaccinations, only for many of them to be wasted, as well as the "yellow vest" anti-establishment movement of 2018 that has fueled general government scepticism ever since.

In the US, views on vaccines aren't much more favourable with 64% of Americans totally confident that they would get a vaccine, down from 67% in August. That number hopefully might have gone up in the last week or so as former US presidents, Obama, Clinton & Bush, all agreed to have their COVID-19 vaccinations publicly televised.

With that we're going to predict the next trend of 2021... celebrities getting vaccines publicly or broadcasting them on social media.

Jake Lahut

PAIN AT THE PUMP

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Tom Jones18h

The UAE’s OPEC exit will hit the group in the barrels

After just shy of 60 years in OPEC, its membership even predating its status as a nation-state, the United Arab Emirates yesterday announced its shocking departure from the oil production group, effective May 1, as the knock-on effects of the Iran war continue to play out across the Middle East and the energy landscape.

For context, the UAE produces the third-highest amount of oil in the group, per April data and OPEC’s latest set of annual statistics.

According to the cartel’s 2025 Annual Statistical Bulletin, the OPEC group was collectively exporting some 19 million barrels of crude oil a day last year, with the United Arab Emirates accounting for some 14% of that daily output.

UAExit means UAExit

The nation, whose energy minister told Reuters yesterday that the decision was taken “after a careful look at current and future policies related to level of production” and wasn’t made following discussions with any other country, made up a healthy share of the group’s total confirmed crude oil reserves, as well.

Of the 12 nations in the core group, which was founded by just five oil superpowers back in September 1960, only two (Iraq and Saudi Arabia) exported more barrels of crude oil daily, pumping out 3.36 million and 6.05 million barrels, respectively, each day to nations around the world.

For its part, the UAE said it will “continue its responsible role by gradually and thoughtfully increasing production, in line with demand and market conditions,” per the official state news agency. Clearly, the nation now wants a little more control of just how much oil it can pump around the world, with the UAE having to eat a large proportion of lost revenues due to its healthy abundance and OPEC restrictions.