For months, people have awaited a COVID-19 vaccine to help them return to society and normalcy. At the moment, several vaccines have been approved around the world. In the United States, the FDA has approved the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines to be distributed under the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). However, a new poll by Just the News and Scott Rasmussen shows that the majority of Americans are reluctant to take the vaccines.
In the poll, respondents were asked: “Which of the following best describes your attitude about taking the recently approved COVID vaccine?” The poll participants were given four choices: (A) get vaccines as soon as possible, (B) wait and see how the vaccine works before being vaccinated, (C) I’m in no particular hurry, (D) I will never take the COVID vaccine, and (e) not sure. The results showed that 65 percent of the people chose options B, C, D, meaning that the majority are apprehensive about getting vaccinated. Only 31 percent expressed a desire for immediate vaccination, Option A. Four percent were undecided.
If this reluctance in being vaccinated reflects the entire U.S. population, then there may be an additional hurdle. According to experts, a minimum of 60 percent of the population needs to be vaccinated in order to keep society safe. The ideal vaccination rate would be somewhere around 75 to 80 percent. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, believes that up to 85 percent of the American population has to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity. Fauci is currently advising both Trump and Biden on the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Measles is about a 98-percent effective vaccine. The COVID-19 vaccine is about 94, 95 percent. When you get below 90 percent of the population vaccinated with measles, you start seeing a breakthrough against the herd immunity, people starting to get infected, like we saw in the Upper New York state and in New York City with the Orthodox Jewish group when we had a measles outbreak… So, I made a calculation that COVID-19 is not nearly as transmissible as measles. Measles is the most transmissible infection you can imagine… I would imagine that you would need something a little bit less than 90 percent. That’s where I got to the 85,” Fauci said in an interview with Fox News.
More than 1 million American citizens have already received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine
This information is according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It represents 0.3 percent of the total U.S. population. In the first stage, healthcare workers, firefighters, elected officials, and elderly nursing home residents are being vaccinated. For everyone else, the vaccination process will take around six months to complete. On Dec. 26, the CDC warned that adults with underlying medical issues are at higher risk of suffering from severe illness due to COVID-19. But as long as these people do not have any extreme allergic reaction to the ingredients in the vaccine, they are likely to remain safe.
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The Moderna vaccine can cause facial swelling among people who have used cosmetic facial fillers. However, it is not that serious a threat. Dermatologist Shirley Chi notes that the swellings can easily be treated with antihistamines and steroids.
“Your immune system, which causes inflammation, is revved up when you get a vaccine. That’s how it’s supposed to work. So, it makes sense that you would see an immune response in certain areas where they see some substance that is not a naturally occurring substance in your body,” Chi said in an interview with ABC7.
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