More than half of Americans say they want to delay obtaining the Covid vaccine until they have more information or even refuse it altogether, according to new research.
Only 41 percent of respondents said they were eager to receive the injections as quickly as possible, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s non-profit screening project.
It turns out that scientists warn that new variants of the virus mean that nations will need to vaccinate 85% of their population to obtain collective immunity, and Joe Biden strives to increase vaccination.
The president set a goal to give 100 million Americans the first dose of a vaccine by April.
In the Kaiser study conducted in January, 31 percent said they want to wait to see more vaccine results, 7 percent said they would only be vaccinated if they did, while 13 percent said they would definitely not be shot.
More than half of Americans say they want to postpone getting a vaccine from Covid until they have more information or even completely refuse it
The study by the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation found that blacks and Hispanics are more reluctant to receive a vaccine
People from rural communities are also less eager to receive vaccines, with urban and suburban adults happier to be vaccinated
Nurse Lacinda Snowberger gives Priscilla Lockhart an injection of the Pfizer vaccine at a vaccination center in Virginia
The findings show a small increase in confidence in the vaccine starting in December, when 63 percent of people said they would delay or refuse approved doses.
The number of people willing to be vaccinated immediately also increased from 34% to 41%.
The study of 1,563 adults in the U.S. also showed that Republicans, people of black and Hispanic origin, low-income families and adults in rural areas are the most reluctant groups to get vaccinated.
Enthusiasm for the vaccine is divided into political lines, with Democrats far more eager to get vaccines than Republicans
Almost two-thirds of Democrats, 64 percent, say they have already been vaccinated or want vaccines as soon as possible.
But that number drops to 32 percent among Republicans, with 33 percent saying they want to wait and see and a quarter saying they will definitely refuse the vaccine.
These numbers have remained largely unchanged since December, showing President Joe Biden’s need to transcend partisanship and call on Republicans to help with his national vaccination campaign.
Enthusiasm for the vaccine is also split along racial lines, with 43% of blacks and 37% of Hispanic adults saying they want to hold on to vaccines until they know more about them.
Enthusiasm for the vaccine is also split along racial lines, with 43 percent of blacks and 37 percent of Hispanic adults saying they want to hold the vaccines until they know more about them
Among white adults, only 26 percent say they want to wait and see, with 53 percent saying they have already received a dose or want one immediately, compared with 35 percent of black adults and 42 percent in the Hispanic community.
Another disparity is found in the economic lines, with people with a family income of $ 90,000 or more almost twice as likely as those with an income below $ 40,000 to say that they or someone they know has been vaccinated.
Meeting someone who has already received an injection is one of the biggest indicators of enthusiasm for the vaccine, the study shows.
More than half of people who want the vaccine ‘as soon as possible’, 52 percent, say they know someone who has been vaccinated.
The study found that many people fear that Covid-19 vaccines could cause long-term problems or serious side effects
Among those who say they will get the vaccine ‘only if necessary’, only 29% of people say they know someone who received the vaccine.
The study also looked at concerns among people reluctant to receive vaccines, with 68 percent of people saying they are concerned about the long-term effects of vaccines.
Other fears that the vaccine could cause Covid-19 and serious side effects are more pronounced in groups less interested in receiving the vaccines.
More than half of black adults (54 percent) and 50 percent of Hispanics say they fear vaccines will give them the coronavirus, compared with 20 percent of white adults.
Vaccine fears are compounded by myths that are more prominent among people reluctant to receive vaccines
People with a lower income and without a college degree are also much more likely to have these concerns than people with a higher education.
A YouGov poll last month found that vaccine skepticism is greater in the United States than in many other countries.
Only 47 percent of people in the U.S. said they would get the vaccine, compared with 73 percent in the UK, 69 percent in India, 68 percent in Mexico, 70 percent in Denmark and 64 percent in Australia.
As of Sunday, 31 million doses of vaccine have been administered in the United States, of nearly 50 million delivered to states
Dr. Anthony Fauci indicated that between 75 and 85 percent of Americans need to be vaccinated to help control the pandemic.
President Biden plans to inoculate 150 million people in the first 100 days of his government.
But he faces a struggle with so many Americans reluctant to be shot, with many deceived by online conspiracy theories.
This weekend, a crowd of unmasked protesters temporarily closed one of the largest vaccination centers in the world at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles when they picketed the scene.
About 50 protesters, including members of anti-vaccine and far-right groups, gathered in front of the COVID-19 vaccination site at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles, interrupting the long line of drivers waiting to receive their dose.
Antivax protesters spread false claims that the virus was not real, holding placards that read: ‘COVID = SCAM’, ‘COERCION IS ILLEGAL’ and ‘Mark of the beast ahead’ while drivers lined up at the vaccine site.
The protests continue, despite January being the deadliest month of the coronavirus pandemic so far.
The month saw more than 95,000 deaths, a jump of 20,000 since December, and more people have been hospitalized for the deadly virus than in any other month so far.
However, new cases and deaths have been decreasing after the peak in the middle of the month.
On Sunday, the country recorded 118,211 new cases of Covid-19 with an average of 144,861 cases in seven days, according to the Covid Tracking Project.
The US also recorded 2,055 new deaths related to Covid-19, with a seven-day average of 3,135 deaths. Overall, 95,211 deaths were recorded in January.
Hospitalizations and cases skyrocketed in early mid-January and there are currently 95,013 people hospitalized with the virus, a huge jump since October, probably exacerbated by holiday travel.
January also saw more people hospitalized with Covid than any other month, on average, however, the number dropped from its mid-month peak.
In more positive news, the number of new cases is now averaging 40,000 less than at the beginning of the month and more than 100,000 less than at the peak of January 12.
Since the start of the pandemic, the country has recorded more than 26 million cases and more than 441,000 deaths.