More than three-quarters of Americans who are not planning on getting vaccinated against COVID-19 are unlikely to change their minds, according to a recent poll.
Conducted by Gallup between May 18 and May 23, the survey found that 24 percent of adults do not plan on getting vaccinated.
Of that group, 78 percent reported that they are unlikely to change their stance on receiving the vaccine, with more than half reporting they are ‘not likely at all.’
Only about 20 percent of those who said they do not plan on getting the COVID-19 shot indicated that they were open to changing their mind.
The results indicate the crisis public health officials currently face, as vaccine demand slowly continues its fall around the country, and the potential of reaching herd immunity seems to dwindle.
There is no strong reason for why many Americans are hesitant to receive the vaccine, per the Gallup data.
The most common reason is that many are still skeptical of the safety of the vaccines, with 23 percent citing this.
All three vaccines that are available in the United States are deemed safe for use, and have received emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
They are all pending full approval from the FDA, but that may not come until late 2021 or early 2022.
Another group, 20 percent, believe that they are not at risk from the virus.
About 16 percent each said they are worried due to the hasty nature of the vaccines’ releases or are skeptical of vaccines in general.
Nearly half of Republicans (46 percent) say they do not plan to receive the vaccine, compared to only 6 percent of Democrats and 31 percent of independents.
And nearly a third of non-college educated Americans (31 percent) say that they will not get vaccinated, compared to 12 percent of college-educated Americans.
West Virginia Gov Jim Justice (pictured) announced a vaccine sweepstakes in his state last week, incentivizing residents in the state the get the shots by giving away guns, trucks and cash. The state joins many others that have put similar programs in place to combat falling vaccine demand
Demand for the vaccines in America have stagnated in recent weeks, after reaching highs in April. President Joe Biden has set a goal to get 70 percent of Americans at least partially vaccinated by July 4, and the goal remains in reach despite a recent slowdown in the vaccine rollout
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show more than 63 percent of U.S. adults have received at least one dose of a COVID -19 vaccine.
Additionally, 51.5 percent of the total population has had one dose and more than 40 percent of the country is fully vaccinated, per the CDC.
Experts predict that between 70 and 85 percent of the U.S. population may need to get fully vaccinated in order for the country to reach herd immunity, meaning the country is about half way there.
According to the data from Gallup, if America is to reach a point where 80 percent of its population is vaccinated, health officials are going to need to start convincing some Americans to get jabbed.
Gallup predicts that 80 percent is the ceiling as to how many Americans will receive at least one dose of the vaccine.
Some states have resorted to vaccine lotteries and other sweepstakes to convince their populations to get the shots.
In Ohio, five vaccinated residents will be chosen to receive $1 million each over the next few weeks.
West Virginia instituted a creative vaccine sweepstakes, giving away hunting rifles, shotguns and customized trucks as incentives to get residents vaccinated.
The efforts have been successful so far, as the vaccination rate – especially among younger Americans – has increased since the giveaways were announced.
In the shorter term, President Joe Biden set a target of getting 70 percent of American adults at least the first shot of a Covid-19 vaccine by July 4.
The Gallup poll estimates that 12 percent of Americans are unvaccinated but willing to get vaccinated soon, meaning that the president’s goal in still in reach with a month to go.