More than half of Americans are willing to get vaccinated against COVID-19

WHO experts have pointed to a 65%-70% vaccine coverage rate as a way to reach population immunity through vaccination, putting the United States just below.

By ZACHARY KEYSER
A nurse carries China's Sinovac vaccine, a potential vaccine for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at the Sao Lucas Hospital of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), in Porto Alegre, Brazil (photo credit: REUTERS/DIEGO VARA)
A nurse carries China's Sinovac vaccine, a potential vaccine for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at the Sao Lucas Hospital of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), in Porto Alegre, Brazil
(photo credit: REUTERS/DIEGO VARA)
Some 61% of Americans plan on getting vaccinated against COVID-19 when it's made available to them, according to a NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist College poll.
World Health Organization (WHO) experts have pointed to a 65%-70% vaccine coverage rate as a way to reach population immunity through vaccination, putting the United States just below the recommendation.
Polls released by the Pew Research Center, Gallup and Quinnipiac University in Conneticut all report similar numbers of at least 60% of Americans willing to get a coronavirus vaccine, according to CNN. All surveys also reported around a 10% increase in vaccine participation from polls released in the months before. The NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist College poll saw an increase of 12%.
However, out of the representative sample of 1,065 adults, aged 18 and over, some 31% would refuse to get inoculated, while 7% remain unsure.
“The idea of herd community is to protect the vulnerable,” said Eleanor Riley, a professor of immunology and infectious disease at the University of Edinburgh. “And the idea behind it is that if, say, 98% of a population have all been vaccinated, there will be so little virus in the community that the 2% will be protected. That’s the point of it.”
Working off the focal point of Riley's statement, older survey respondents were more likely to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Some 73% of respondents over the age of 74 (Silent-Greatest) said that they plan on getting the shot, while 17% refuse. Aged 56-74 (Baby Boomers), some 65% of survey respondents are willing to be vaccinated.
As the respondents got younger, so did their willingness to inject one of the fast-tracked vaccines into their system. Just over half (54%) of those aged 40-55 (Gen X) intend on getting vaccinated and in the 18-39 (Gen Z/MIllenials) index that number stands at around 60% - still lower than the Baby Boomers.
Additionally, college-educated individuals were more likely to vaccinated for the novel coronavirus than those not, for both men and women - a 16% difference among women, and a 25% difference among men.
By gender, some 64% of men intend on receiving a coronavirus vaccine while 59% of women plan on doing the same.
Results separated by party affiliation showed the largest disparity. While three-quarters (75%) of Democrats are willing to be vaccinated, only 48% of Republicans agreed. Interestingly, when split by Trump vs Biden supporters, around 79% of President-elect Joe Biden supporters intend to get vaccinated against 47% of President Donald Trump supporters who feel the same.
A US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory panel on Saturday recommended the nation's first COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE , as the US COVID-19 death toll topped 298,000.
Doses of the vaccine will reach 145 locations across the country on Monday, with initial shots to go to healthcare workers and elderly residents of long-term care homes.
A senior administration official said a comprehensive "National Continuity Policy" was established by the administration of former President Barack Obama in July 2016.
"This will further ensure that the United States government will continue essential operations, without interruption, for our citizens as we continue to fight this pandemic and work toward a return to prosperity for our nation," the official said.
Reuters contributed to this report.