Thousands of Americans were finally convinced to make the first shot the week after the full approval of the Pfizer-BioNtech coronavirus vaccine by the Drug and Food Administration, new data reveals.
A new analysis by ABC News found that initial data, derived from the last seven days, indicate that since the announcement of FDA approval, the United States has seen a slight rise in the average number of Americans receiving the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
Just before the announcement, the U.S. first-dose rate had stagnated. Although the country experienced an increase in people starting vaccination in July as new cases of coronavirus grew across the country, the average number of Americans receiving the first dose had declined.
However, after full approval of Pfizer, the United States experienced a 17% increase in the number of Americans vaccinated with the first dose.
The week before full approval, an average of about 404,000 Americans began vaccination each day. As of Monday, approximately 473,000 Americans were receiving the first shot each day.
“As expected, full approval was enough to convince at least some to finally get vaccinated,” said Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist at Boston Children’s Hospital and an ABC contributor. News.
While there does not appear to have been a rage of vaccinated people in the days immediately following approval, the rise was significant enough to drive up the country’s vaccination trend.
“While polls had initially estimated a much larger segment of the population considered full approval to be the reason for holding on, we still saw a large wave of people recently convinced they would roll up their sleeves,” added Brownstein.
Experts warn that while the upturn is encouraging, there is still much work to be done to convince millions of more hesitant Americans to get the shot.
However, according to a recent survey published by Axios-Ipsos, vaccination hesitation among Americans has reached a record low, with only 2 out of ten Americans saying they are unlikely to get the COVID-19 vaccine and 14% say it is not likely at all. .
The survey, which was conducted before full FDA approval, found that about a third of unvaccinated Americans said they would likely be vaccinated if the FDA formally approved their use. However, about 6 out of 10 said they would not yet be vaccinated even if it was approved by the FDA.
In another measure that officials hope will encourage Americans to receive the shot, the advisory committee on immunization practices, the independent advisory panel of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, took the approval one step further. on Monday, unanimously approving the Pfizer vaccine for use in people 16. adults
“We now have a fully approved COVID-19 vaccine and ACIP has added its recommendation. If you have been waiting for this approval before receiving the vaccine, now is the time to get vaccinated and join the more than 173 million North- Americans who are already fully vaccinated, “CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Monday in a statement.
It is difficult to know for sure whether this growing trend will continue. On Tuesday, for example, the United States reported a total of one day of approximately 283,000 first shots administered, well below the current seven-day average.
Vaccination trends also remain unstable and highly susceptible to mandates imposed by the jurisdiction.
“While FDA approval has many positive implications for vaccine deployment, this does not replace the constant need for basic education about the individual and community benefits of vaccination,” Brownstein said.
Full approval has made it easier for employers to mandate vaccines, which could also be one of the drivers of rising vaccination rates, experts have suggested. In the last week alone, a growing number of companies and government entities have decided to request evidence of vaccination or cessation of risk.
A few hours after the announcement of full approval, for example, the Pentagon announced that preparations would begin to make the vaccine mandatory.
“I call on more private sector companies to step up vaccine requirements that will reach millions more people,” President Joe Biden said in statements to the White House last week. “If you’re a business leader, a nonprofit leader, a state or local leader, who’s been waiting for full FDA approval to require vaccinations, now I’m asking you to do it. Demand it. It just makes sense to demand a vaccine to stop the spread of COVID-19 “.
The push for more companies to demand employee vaccination comes as the United States continues to fight its latest wave of COVID-19 infections.
With more than 101,000 patients hospitalized nationwide with COVID-19, the United States is steadily approaching its maximum hospitalization in early January, when more than 125,000 patients were hospitalized at once. Just over two months ago, there were fewer than 12,000 patients receiving care.
And nationally, nearly 94% of U.S. counties report that community transmission is high.
“With only 53% of the population fully vaccinated, we will need a much more significant increase in vaccinations if we limit the impact of a falling wave and reach the other side of this pandemic,” Brownstein said.