‘Will I receive the vaccine?’ – A mass existential anxiety : Perspective from Australia

Abstract

Coronavirus (COVID-19) has put the world to a halt and the world is facing an existential crisis. Many have given up their usual lifestyle and adopted COVID safe ways. In some extreme cases, many have isolated themselves even after the government has declared some places to be safe. Many might have suffered subsyndromal depression, anxiety, insomnia, or even severe mental health issues after the onset of the pandemic.It seems that all eyes are on the vaccine. There has been rapid progress in SARS-CoV-2 vaccine development in the last few months. Several companies have reported the high effectiveness of their phase 1 trials. However many uncertainties have surfaced related to the vaccination and considering it as the only panacea.