Are Americans Still Nervous About the Coronavirus Vaccines?
As we inch closer to widespread vaccine accessibility, the question continues to be asked by many American citizens: are the Coronavirus vaccines safe? The answer to that question is that the word “safe” is an understatement. The truth is that vaccines continue to prove to save millions of lives annually and reduce the suffering of even more.
Despite the overwhelming evidence of vaccine efficacy, hysteria around the topic continues to flourish. In September of 2020, Pew Research Center found that not even a quarter of Americans would definitely get a vaccine and 30% probably would (51% combined). These are terrifyingly low numbers.
There are a few explanations for vaccine anxiety. One is poor science communication by public health officials. The mixed messaging around masks early on in the pandemic is one example of this. The public was told not to wear masks but important details as to why were often left out.
Science communication was also faulty when hundreds of health care professionals signed a letter stating that the Black Lives Matter protests in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder weren’t risky for COVID-19 transmission. To many on the right-wing, this makes science experts appear ideologically driven and hypocritical.
Another reason for vaccine anxiety is Donald Trump and many republicans and right-wing political influencers repeatedly undermining the seriousness of COVID-19, scientific consensus and even sometimes vaccines directly. This kind of denial isn’t inconsequential as it may have caused far more deaths than we would have had otherwise. And it certainly doesn’t help with public trust in vaccines.
For many minorities, who are disproportionately hesitant, an additional reason for vaccine anxiety is history. The US eugenics movement involuntarily sterilized about 64,000 individuals who were deemed “unfit.” Economic status seems to better describe what was meant by this term than genetics despite what eugenicists often claimed.
But there is good news too: Pew Research Center has done follow-up polls that appear to be promising. In polls from late 2020, that 51% who would likely get vaccinated climbed about 10 points. And the most recent polls done between February 16 and 21 show that as many as 69% of Americans will definitely or probably get vaccinated.
This growing number should come as a relief to anyone who wants to open up the economy and eliminate preventable deaths. President Biden has promised vaccine accessibility to all adult Americans by the end of May. This means that the end of the pandemic can be — and hopefully is — near. But heard immunity is likely only achievable if about 90% of Americans receive a vaccine.
There is a clear move towards vaccination happening among American citizens. Given the overwhelming evidence for vaccine efficacy, this is a great thing for the country. And not just because it will save lives but also because with increasing acceptance comes another step closer to achieving heard immunity, opening the country up and finally putting the COVID-19 pandemic behind us.
