Reluctance to receive vaccine is easing
So few people came for COVID-19 vaccinations in one county in North Carolina that hospitals there now allow anyone 16 or older to get a shot, regardless of where they live. Get a shot, get a free doughnut, the governor said.
Alabama, which has the nation’s lowest vaccination rate, launched a campaign to convince people the shots are safe. Doctors and pastors joined the effort.
The race is on to vaccinate as many people as possible, but a significant number of Americans are so far reluctant to get the shots, even in places where they are plentiful. Twenty-five percent of Americans say they probably or definitely will not get vaccinated, according to a new poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. They are leery about possible side effects. They tend to be Republican, and they are usually younger and less susceptible to becoming critically ill or dying if they catch COVID-19.
There’s been a slight shift, though, since the first weeks of the nation’s vaccination campaign, which began in mid-December. An AP-NORC poll conducted in late January showed that 67 percent of adult Americans were willing to get vaccinated or had already received at least one shot. Now that figure has climbed to 75 percent.
That, experts say, moves the nation closer to herd immunity.
Anywhere from 75 percent to 85 percent of the total population — including children, who are not currently getting the shots — should be vaccinated to reach herd immunity, said Ali Mokdad, professor of health metrics sciences at the University of Washington School of Public Health.
A little over three months after the first doses were given, 100 million Americans, or about 30 percent of the population, have received at least one dose.
In the latest poll, Republicans remained more likely than Democrats to say they will probably or definitely not get vaccinated, 36 percent compared with 12 percent. But somewhat fewer Republicans today are reluctant. Back in January, 44 percent said they would shy away from a vaccine.
Nationwide, 24 percent of Black Americans and 22 percent of Hispanic Americans say they will probably or definitely not get vaccinated, down from 41 percent and 34 percent in January, respectively. Among white Americans, 26 percent now say they will not get vaccinated. In January, that number was 31 percent.