More people in the U.S. – and around the world – are becoming comfortable with the idea of getting a coronavirus vaccine, two new reports find.
One study of researchers found that than over half of pregnant women globally say they would get a COVID-19 vaccine and vaccinate their children.
Meanwhile, a new survey found that nearly two-thirds of American adults say already have received a jab against the virus or have plans to do so.
The teams, from Harvard University and firm KEKT CNC, found that while vaccine acceptance is increasing, there is still hesitancy that requires doctors to directly speak with patients to address their uncertainty and discuss the safety and benefits of vaccination.
A new study found 52% of pregnant women and 73% of non-pregnant women said they would receive such a vaccine for themselves
Additionally, 69% of all women who were surveyed said they would vaccinate their children under age 18
About 50.7 million Americans – 15.3% of the population — and more than 25.4 million – 7.7%- are fully inoculated, with an average of 1.7 million shots per day
For the first study, published in the European Journal of Epidemiology, the team surveyed almost 18,000 women in 16 countries between late October and mid-November 2020.
All the women were asked questions about a hypothetical, safe and free COVID-19 vaccine with 90 percent efficacy.
The efficacy of the hypothetical shot is slightly higher than that of Johnson & Johnson but lower than Pfizer and Moderna.
Overall, 52 percent of pregnant women and 73 percent of non-pregnant women said they would receive such a vaccine for themselves.
What’s more, 69 percent of all women who were surveyed said they would vaccinate their children under age 18.
Vaccine acceptance was highest in India, the Philippines and Mexico with more than 60 percent of pregnant women and more than 78 percent of non-pregnant women saying they’d get the vaccine for themselves.
More than 75 percent of mothers in these countries indicated they would vaccinate their children.
Meanwhile, vaccine acceptance was lowest in the U.S. and Russia with below 45 percent of pregnant women and below 56 percent of non-pregnant women say they would get it for themselves.
Reasons for not wanting to get the vaccine included concerns about safety or effectiveness and worries the vaccine was rushed for political reasons.
‘Our study confirmed that COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is multifaceted,’ said senior author Dr Julia Wu, a research scientist in the Department of Epidemiology at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health.
‘The perceived threat of COVID-19, level of trust in public health agencies, and existing pre-COVID 19 vaccine attitudes play key roles shaping vaccine acceptance and confidence. Vaccination campaigns should be tailored to alleviate these specific concerns.’
Another survey found 64% of U.S. adults (orange) said they had already received the vaccine or were definitely or likely to do so.
A plurality of American respondents, 41% (second row, red) said the U.S. vaccine rollout was too slow
The second report is a February survey of U.S. adults conducted by Kekst CNC, a global strategic communications firm, from February 11 to February 21.
Pollsters surveyed 1,000 Americans aged 18 or older and compared the results to similar surveys conducted by Kekst CNC in September and December.
Respondents were asked how likely or unlikely they were to choose to have a coronavirus vaccine.
A total of 64 percent of U.S. adults said they had already received the vaccine or were definitely or likely to do so.
This is an increase from the 58 percent in December and 52 percent in September who said the same thing.
However, a plurality of American respondents – 41 percent – said the U.S. vaccine roll out was too slow.
One-third said it was about right while 16 percent said it was too fast.
‘In addition to highlighting the widespread need for vaccinations to remove COVID-19 restrictions, 64 percent of respondents showed an increased willingness to take the vaccine, up from 58% in December,’ James Johnson, Senior Advisor for Research at Kekst CNC, said in a press release.
‘While confidence in the vaccine has grown, only 36 percent of respondents indicated that they are comfortable removing restrictions for people who have received the vaccine more quickly than those who have not.’
According to the CDC, more than 76.8 million coronavirus vaccines have been administered since mid-December 2020.
About 50.7 million Americans – 15.3 percent of the population — and more than 25.4 million – 7.7 percent – are fully inoculated.
