Polling indicates that almost half of the unvaccinated believe there’s nothing that would cause them to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
QUICK FACTS:
- A recent survey from the non-profit Kaiser Family Foundation showed that 48 percent of the adults polled said there was nothing that would convince them to get the COVID-19 vaccination, despite the national push to get the shot, according to Newsweek.
- The poll questioned 186 unvaccinated U.S. adults that were said to make up a “nationally representative” sample, 12 percent of which said that more research and transparency might convince them to take the vaccine.
- While 52 percent said there could be something to change their mind to get the vaccine, an even smaller percentage said they would get it if they were required to legally for work or if they were offered a financial incentive.
- Only around three percent said that they would get it if their doctor recommended it, and about the same percentage said they would get it if it prevented every COVID related infection.
- A larger percentage of the Black population was concerned with the illness than the White population, and the Hispanic population was the most concerned about the virus.
- The large majority of unvaccinated adults, around 87 percent, said that the news about the Omicron variant didn’t make them any more likely to get vaccinated than before.
WHAT THE PRO-VACCINE “EXPERTS” SAY:
- Former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in an interview with Newsweek earlier this month that vaccine mandates are needed, saying that they were not succeeding because of the legal obstacles in their way.
- MSNBC medical analyst Dr. Vin Gupta said on Wednesday that lawmakers need to consider putting into place “negative incentives” for those not getting the vaccination, as concern over Omicron rises among goverment officials. He suggested making those who have not chosen to get the vaccination wait for treatment if they get seriously ill.
BACKGROUND:
- Concerns about the time the COVID-19 vaccines took to create and test have been cited by those hesitant to get the vaccine, and even within the medical community disagreements about whether the vaccinations are “safe and effective” have been persistent, according to The Defender.
- The growing backlog of claims regarding vaccine-related injury has been growing with more than 4,000 claims being processed by the U.S. government, as they parse out how to issue compensation for the reported injuries, The Defender also notes.
- Just under one million reports of adverse reactions to the vaccine have been reported, according to the National Vaccine Information Center. Of those, around 20,000 deaths have been attributed to the vaccine and about 33,000 permanent disabilities.
