Poll: Confidence in vaccines is slowing rising
A survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania reveals growing public confidence in the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.
Out of the 1,719 U.S. adults surveyed, 78% believe it is definitely or probably true that vaccines are effective, an increase from 74% in April.
Meanwhile, 76% of respondents believe it is definitely or probably true that it is safer to get the vaccine than to get COVID-19.
The survey also showed public trust in U.S. health authorities is holding steady, with 76% of respondents expressing confidence in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and 68% in Dr. Anthony Fauci, the face of the country’s virus response.
But there’s good and bad news, said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center. The survey also found people who rely on conservative media are more likely to have less confidence in Fauci and in the vaccines, and more likely to believe misinformation about both.
“Those who trust health authorities are more likely to seek vaccination,” Jamieson said in a statement. “Deceptive messages that undermine trust in a health expert such as Dr. Fauci are deeply worrisome.”
The U.S. has had more than 34.1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 609,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: More than 191 million cases and 4.1 million deaths.
More than 161.4 million Americans – 48.6% of the population – have been fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.
Low vaccination rates, delta variant fuel surge in South
New cases linked to the highly infectious delta variant are on the rise and disproportionately affecting unvaccinated populations, creating a precarious situation across several Southern states. In many of these states, health workers continue to battle rampant vaccine hesitancy and misinformation that have resulted in some of the lowest vaccination rates in the country.
In the past two weeks, health officials across the region have issued warnings to alert the public about the prevalent spread of the delta variant, which appears to be more contagious.
“It feels very reminiscent of where we were in an early part of the pandemic,” said Mississippi’s state epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers. “It feels like we’re in the same situation now with the delta variant.”
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• The U.S. upgraded its travel warnings for Britain, Indonesia and three other destinations, advising against visiting those countries because of surging coronavirus infections.
• Officials in Spain are celebrating that half of the country’s population have been fully vaccinated, although a sharp increase in infections is sending worrying numbers of patients into hospitals.