NEW YORK (AP) – About 1 in 3 Americans say they will definitely or probably not get the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a new poll which, according to experts, is discouraging news as the US hopes to bring about herd immunity and to overcome the outbreak. .
A poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that although 67% of Americans plan to be vaccinated or have already done so, 15% are sure they will not and 17% say probably not. Many have expressed doubts about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.
The poll suggests that considerable skepticism persists for more than a month and a half in a U.S. vaccination process that has had few or no serious side effects. Resistance was found to be higher among younger people, people without college degrees, black Americans and Republicans.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s leading scientist on infectious diseases, estimated that between 70% and 85% of the U.S. population should be vaccinated to stop the plague that has killed nearly 470,000 Americans. More recently, he said the spread of more contagious variants of the virus increases the need for more people to take it quickly and easily.
Are 67% of Americans enough then?
“No. No, no, no, no,” said William Hanage, a Harvard University expert on disease dynamics, adding: “You will have to get fairly large sections of the population vaccinated before you see a real effect. “
Nearly 33 million Americans, or about 10% of the population, have received at least one dose, and 9.8 million have been completely vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The poll among 1,055 adults, which took place from January 28 to February 1, provides insight into the skepticism.
Of those who said they would definitely not get the vaccine, 65% were worried about side effects, despite the safety record of the shots in recent months. About the same percentage said they did not trust COVID-19 vaccines. And 38% said they do not believe they need a vaccine, with a similar proportion saying they do not know if a COVID-19 vaccine will work and that they do not trust the government.
Of those who are unlikely to get the vaccine but have not completely ruled it out, 63% said they are waiting to see if it is safe, and 60% said they are worried about possible side effects.
“I do not trust pharmaceuticals. I really do not. And it does not sound like it is going to be safe, ”said Debra Nanez, a 67-year-old retired nurse from Tucson, Arizona.
Nanez said she got flu and pneumonia shots but is worried about rumors about what is in the coronavirus vaccine, and her friends are hesitant to do the same.
‘It will take a while before I do research on it to make sure it’s safe. “I just do not want to take anything that harms me,” she said.
Baron Walker, a 42-year-old fired insulation installer from Parkersburg, West Virginia, said he was “probably not” in the column at least for now.
He said that if he is elderly or living in a densely populated area, he may consider the vaccine more strongly. But he is in the rural country, he wore a mask and took social distance, and he feels the chances are high that the country will achieve herd immunity, he said.
“I feel like I have enough time before I get the chance to get (the vaccine) anyway, to find out if there are any bad side effects and if it’s even worth it,” he said. Walker said.
In interviews, some Americans expressed concern about the revolutionary speed with which the vaccines were developed – less than a year.
“I feel like they’re in a hurry,” Walker said.
This was repeated by Matt Helderman, 31, of Greer, South Carolina.
“I would like to see more safety data,” said Helderman, a video editor and co-producer of a Christian TV show. He also said he wants to see more clarity on whether the vaccine is effective against new variants.
Health officials are trying to counteract science’s concerns about the vaccine.
According to the latest evidence, the two vaccines used in the US – Pfizer’s and Moderna’s – are effective, even against the variants, Fauci said.
Although the development of the vaccines was extremely rapid, it was the culmination of many years of research. And the vaccines have undergone clinical trials involving thousands of people who were monitored 60 days after their last dose. Studies of other vaccines have found that harmful side effects almost always materialize within 45 days.
“Security has certainly not been compromised, nor has scientific integrity,” Fauci said. ‘Many have reason for skepticism. But I think if you explain the facts and the data to them, you can win it. ‘
The survey found that older Americans, who are more vulnerable to COVID-19, in particular are more likely to say they have been given a chance or are likely or definitely vaccinated. Four out of ten of those under 45 say they are likely or definitely not going to get a vaccine, compared to a quarter of the older people.
Black Americans seem less likely than white Americans to say they have been given the chance or decided or likely to be vaccinated, 57% versus 68%. Among Hispanics, 65% say they got or planned the vaccine.
Public health experts have long known that some Black Americans do not trust the medical institution because of the history of abuse, including the infamous Tuskegee study, in which black patients with syphilis were left untreated so doctors could study the disease.
Americans who do not have a college degree are more likely to say that they will definitely or probably not be vaccinated, except for 40% versus 17%. And Republicans are more likely to say that than Democrats, 44% versus 17%.
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Fingerhut reported from Washington.
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The AP-NORC poll among 1,055 adults was on 28 January to Feb. 1 using a sample of NORC’s AmeriSpeak panel, which is likely to be representative of the U.S. population. The sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.
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Online:
AP-NORC Center: http://www.apnorc.org/.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Division receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.