Sep 17, 2020 - Health

Pew: 49% of Americans would not get COVID-19 vaccine if available today

Jacob Knutson

A health care worker a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine now in phase three clinical trials in Hollywood, Florida, in August. — A health care worker holds a COVID-19 vaccine at the Research Centers of America (RCA) in Hollywood, Florida on Aug. 13. Photo: Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images

51% of U.S. adults would "definitely or probably" get a coronavirus vaccine if the treatment were available today, while 49% would not, according to a Pew survey published Thursday.

Why it matters: All major political and demographic groups said they are less likely to get a COVID-19 vaccine since May, Pew finds, although Republicans and Black adults are least likely.

By the numbers: Intent to get a vaccine fell from 72% in May to 51%.

58% of Democrats said they would probably or definitely be vaccinated, while 44% of Republicans said they would — a 14-percentage point divide.
32% of Black adults said they would definitely or probably get a vaccine, compared to 52% of White adults, 56% of Hispanics and 72% of Asian Americans.

Between the lines: Worries about side effects and uncertainty as to how effective a vaccine would be were commonly cited in the survey as reasons for wanting to avoid a vaccine if one were available.

Of the 49% Americans who said they would not get vaccinated, 76% attributed that opinion to side effects.

The big picture: There are eight potential vaccines in late-stage trials right now, per Axios' Sam Baker, and the first could reach FDA review as early as October or November.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in late August "urgently" requested governors to speed up their permit applications so vaccine distribution sites are operational by early November.

The bottom line: A coronavirus vaccine is needed to reinforce herd immunity, especially without a significant loss of life.

Methodology: Survey of 10,093 respondents from the Pew American Trends Panel conducted from Sept. 8 to Sept. 13. MOE ± 1.6 percentage points.

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Pew: 49% of Americans would not get COVID-19 vaccine if available today

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