Most young Americans are interested in getting a vaccine against COVID-19, but they have concerns that have prevented them from doing so.
Researchers at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, created a text survey that asked people ages 14-24 about the vaccine, whether they trusted it and whether they wanted to receive it.
Three-quarters of participants said they were willing to be vaccinated against the virus.
But when asked about their concerns, nearly half said they were concerned about possible side effects.
Other concerns included fears that the vaccine would not be effective or safe and feared that the process would be rushed.
Americans under the age of 24 are the least likely demographic age to have received the vaccine so far.
However, the number of young people hospitalized with the virus is increasing and health officials are pushing for more young people to receive the shots to protect themselves.
More than 40% of young people fear the adverse effects of the COVID-19 vaccine. Only less than a third have no worries about the vaccine
For the study, published in JAMA Health Forum, the researchers sent their text survey to more than 1,000 young people.
The majority of respondents, 74.6%, were interested in getting the vaccine, including 70% of respondents aged 14 or 15 and 74% of participants aged 16 to 24 years.
The survey found that 72.8 percent said they believed vaccines were safe and effective because they relied on science and data.
“These findings indicate that juvenile respondents from this large diverse sample were interested in receiving a vaccine against COVID-19,” the researchers wrote.
However, even many who trust the vaccine have their concerns.
Just over 40 percent of respondents said they feared some adverse side effects when getting the vaccine.
More than ten percent said they believed the vaccines were not effective, 8.3 percent said they believed the vaccine was unsafe, and 5.6 percent said the vaccine was rushed.
Young people are far behind their old parts in catching vaccines. Less than half of people under the age of 24 are fully vaccinated, while each age group 25 or older has a rate of more than 50%
Despite the large-scale availability of vaccines across the country, 5.2 percent of respondents still mentioned that there was some availability.
While the nation certainly has a large supply of vaccines, they may not be administered in places where it is convenient for young people to receive them.
“As younger demographic groups become eligible for vaccination, vaccination sites should be located in places convenient for young people and families, reduce complexity around the appointment, and be prepared to administer vaccines to children, ”the researchers wrote about improving vaccine availability. .
Younger people are the least likely to group together so far with COVID-19 vaccines.
Only a third of adolescents aged 12 to 15 are fully vaccinated, compared to 51% of the total population.
In addition, 43.6% of 16- or 17-year-olds and 46.2% of 18- to 24-year-old Americans are fully vaccinated.
More than half of all other age groups eligible for the vaccine are fully vaccinated.
Fighting misinformation is also a huge undertaking for health officials.
About one-fifth of Americans of all ages and 22% of people ages 18 to 24 believe they have at least one common piece of vaccine misinformation.
The best way to combat misinformation, which could be behind the fears some young people have about the side effects and effectiveness of vaccines, is by making the information available.
“Educational campaigns and programs can emphasize the safe and effective vaccination of millions of recipients in the U.S. to date and the comprehensive role that widespread vaccination plays in returning to their regular activities,” the researchers wrote.
