Covid vaccine confidence growing in US, poll suggests

Increase particularly pronounced among older Americans, especially those over age 65, Ipsos says

A new poll has shown that public confidence in a new coronavirus vaccine may be growing across the US as first doses begin to be rolled out across the nation.

More than one in four Americans questioned (27 per cent) said they plan to get the vaccine as soon as it’s available, according to an Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index published on Tuesday.

The percentage figure is more than double the number of Americans who said they would be willing to do so in September when only 13 per cent of respondents gave the same answer.

“The increase in those wanting to get the vaccine as soon as it’s available is particularly pronounced among older Americans, especially those over age 65,” the company said.

However, one out of every five Americans (21 per cent) still expressed that they would choose not to get the vaccine, a number which remains unchanged from September.

"Republicans, Black Americans, and those with a high school diploma or less are the most likely to say they will not get the vaccine," Ipsos wrote.

The first wave of Pfizer’s vaccine candidate began distribution this week after it was given final approval by the US Food and Drug Administration for emergency use in the country on Friday.

The nation’s death toll as a result of the pandemic surpassed 300,000 on Monday just as the country began dispensing jabs, marking the start of the biggest vaccination campaign in American history.

"The numbers are staggering -- the most impactful respiratory pandemic that we have experienced in over 102 years, since the iconic 1918 Spanish flu,” Dr Anthony Fauci the government’s top infectious-disease expert, said just before the grim milestone.

The majority of US residents are not expected to receive the vaccine until spring 2021, and experts have warned that distribution won’t stop the current surge in deaths as a result of the virus.

Another Ipsos poll published last week revealed about 60 per cent of respondents would take the vaccine if former presidents President Barack Obama, George W Bush, and Bill Clinton received the jab publicly.

The company said that this was “an improvement over baseline but not as convincing as the safety arguments.”

Dr Fauci and President-elect Joe Biden have also both said they would receive the jab on television in an effort to show the public how much the treatment is trusted.

President Donald Trump tweeted on Monday that he is “not scheduled to take the vaccine” but that he will “look forward to doing so at the appropriate time.”

Health officials have urged citizens to continue to wear masks in public settings, avoid large gatherings, and practice stringent hygiene measures to stem the spread of the disease.

The latest poll was conducted between the 11 and 14 of December and surveyed 1,009 adults. The findings have a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points.