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FILE – A health worker administers the COVID-19 booster jab made by Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty) to a young boy during a vaccination campaign.
After years of long lines and occasional shortages, more Americans are choosing not to get the coronavirus vaccine this year, according to a new national survey.
The survey, conducted primarily online among adults 18 and older in August, was commissioned by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. “The majority of U.S. adults (61%) either do not plan to get the latest coronavirus vaccine this season or are unsure whether they will get it,” the report said.
“It’s not new anymore, it’s new, it’s not as scary as it used to be. People get a little bit complacent when they don’t have it,” said Christy Gray, director of vaccinations. explained. Virginia Department of Health.
Gray added that other factors may also be at play, such as making it harder for the uninsured and uninsured to receive the free vaccine this year.
“That concerns me,” Gray said of the prospect that most Americans may choose not to get the latest vaccine. “The tricky thing about COVID-19 is that it’s unpredictable, so a lot of times it’s like, ‘Oh, I already got it, it’s no big deal, it didn’t matter.’ You might think so, but I don’t know if I’ll get infected or not. I’m sure it will happen next time.”
That’s one reason others said they still plan to vote, new polls or not.
“I can’t say exactly why people don’t do it, but it’s important to me,” Christina Medina said Thursday in Arlington.
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Click here to read the full study, which also examined Americans’ attitudes toward other respiratory illnesses, including influenza.
