The United States began vaccinating people against the new coronavirus last week, but mass vaccination is not guaranteed. According to a Pew Research Center survey of 12,648 U.S. adults conducted Nov. 18-29, nearly four in 10 Americans said they are “definitely” or “probably” not going to get vaccinated.
While this is higher than the results of a Pew survey in September, when nearly 50 percent of respondents preferred not to be vaccinated, it still falls short of adequately protecting the entire population. To achieve herd immunity, about 70 percent of the population needs to be vaccinated or have natural antibodies, experts say.
The widespread mistrust may be due to the fact that the new crown vaccine was successfully developed in just eight months, breaking the typical four-year speed record.
And if something goes wrong with the vaccine, Pfizer, BioNTech and Modena, the drugmakers that produce the vaccine, have full immunity protection from lawsuits related to vaccine injuries until 2024.
Central to closing this trust gap is a strong and credible national education campaign. The U.S. Department of health and Human Services is spending $250 million on this effort.
But the federal government’s effort to educate the public has been plagued by controversy, including suspicions that the message is being politicized.
In early December, at least 15 states told NBC News that they did not wait for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services campaign. Instead, they launched their own campaigns to get the message out faster.
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