A new survey has found that seven out of ten Americans say they will “definitely or probably” get a COVID-19 vaccine.
The new statistic, 71%, represents a considerable leap since September, when 63% said they would get the blow, according to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
The nonprofit organization of health research surveyed 1,676 adults amid expert fears that there were not enough Americans to trust the coronavirus vaccine.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease expert, has said that between 75 and 80 percent of the population should be vaccinated to get the herd’s immunity.
27% of respondents recently said they would “definitely or probably” not be vaccinated.
“This group is disproportionately made up of Republicans and people with no higher education in high school,” Kaiser said in a statement.
Black Americans, people living in rural areas, and Republicans were among the most dubious when it came to getting the shooting, but their reasons varied, according to the report.
“Some black adults are hesitant for reasons that could change with more information,” the report said.
About 71 percent of those who say they will not get the vaccine said they are concerned about possible side effects, while about 50 percent of the group fear they could get the virus.
For Republicans, 57% of respondents cited “the risks of COVID-19 are being exaggerated” as the main reason why they would definitely or probably not get a vaccine.
“Many hesitant Americans simply reserve the trial before they are ready to get vaccinated. However, nearly one in four Republicans do not want to get vaccinated because they do not believe COVID poses a serious threat,” he said. Mollyann Brodie, executive vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation, according to CNN.
Liz Hamil, director of Kaiser’s public opinion poll research program, said messaging will be key to instilling confidence in the vaccine.
“Based on our data, what happens in this initial release will be very important, both in terms of its dissemination, and the way in which these reports are leaked to the media and what the different People’s media sources on how the launch is going, ”Hamil told CNN.