Why are vaccines safe and important?

With the news of a possible new vaccine for Covid-19 some people are wondering about how vaccines are made and whether they are safe.

As Dr Sajini Wijetilleka explains here, vaccines go through a lot of testing before the public can take them to ensure they are safe and effective against fighting the disease.

She says vaccines are very important and it's a problem if people don't take them.

So why might someone not want a vaccine? Well they might have genuine questions, for example about safety or side effects, or they might be against vaccinations. You can find out more about the anti-vaccination movement here.