(Newser)
– Two months ago, a USA Today /The Suffolk University survey showed concern among Americans for the coronavirus vaccine, with only 26% willing to roll up their sleeves for the shot as soon as it became available. Now, just days after the deployment of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine for health care workers and nursing home residents and politicians began to be inoculated in public to increase the confidence of northerners -Americans, a new survey shows that public health experts are more encouraging for USA Today. The most recent USA Today /The Suffolk University poll, which surveyed 1,000 registered voters Wednesday through Sunday, now shows that 46% of Americans are willing to receive the shot as soon as possible when it hits them in the queue, while 32% say they will go vaccinated only after waiting a while for others to get it first. One-fifth of respondents say they will not get any shots.
That 20% remains virtually unchanged from the October survey, and is of concern to public health experts, as it could affect the achievement of the herd immunity the U.S. needs to beat the pandemic. Of those on the fence, nearly two-thirds say they are concerned the vaccine is unsafe, 14% never get vaccinated and 8% do not see the coronavirus as a significant threat. According to FiveThirtyEight, experts are still unsure whether getting the vaccine will keep the virus fully under control; those who receive the vaccine may not get very sick if they become infected, but there is still the possibility of spreading the disease to others. the site acknowledges that there is “general agreement that the higher the vaccination rate against COVID-19, the better.” He also points out that the number of Americans likely to get the vaccine may increase even more in the coming weeks and months, as they see other people getting the vaccine with only minor side effects. (Read more stories about the coronavirus vaccine).