A recent Siena College poll has found that more than one-fourth of New York residents do not want to get inoculated with the COVID-19 vaccine, even though most believe the pandemic will only get worse. Seven percent of the respondents have already been vaccinated.
For those who have not been vaccinated, over two-thirds said that they would soon be getting the shot. Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg said that New York and other regions of the country have a long way to go when it comes to getting citizens vaccinated.
“Unlike some issues that divide New Yorkers by partisanship, geography, or race, this question doesn’t… A majority of between 50 and 61 percent of Democrats, Republicans, independents, upstaters, downstaters, Black, Latino, and white voters all think the worst of the pandemic is still in front of us… In fact, a majority of every demographic group says the worst is still to come, with the exception of voters under 35 — only a plurality — and conservatives, a plurality of whom think the worst is over,” Greenberg told Newsweek.
Vaccine hesitancy
The issue of vaccine hesitancy is not new and has been observed throughout the country in significant numbers. In December, around 55 percent of firefighters from the New York Fire Department revealed that they would refuse to be vaccinated. In Los Angeles, 40 percent of firefighters did not show up for vaccination.
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The governor of Ohio recently stated how he is troubled by the low level of vaccinations among nursing home workers; almost 60 percent refused to be inoculated.
There are many reasons why people choose to avoid vaccines for the CCP virus. Many are concerned that the vaccine might not be safe since it has been quickly developed and tested. They are waiting to see how effective it is. Distrust in governmental organizations and their capability to assure safety may be a significant reason why many Americans have opted out of the vaccination program.
In order to encourage employees to get vaccinated, some companies and organizations are offering incentives. Trader Joe’s has announced that they will pay workers two hours’ worth of wages for every dose they get. Workers from the Houston Methodist Hospital have been told that they will receive $500 to get vaccinated. Los Angeles firefighters who opt for vaccination will enter a raffle that includes prizes like fixed-gear bicycles, cameras, and Airbnb gift cards. Grocery delivery platform Instacart will pay $25 to each vaccinated employee.
“Our goal with the introduction of our new Vaccine Support Stipend is to ensure that, when the time comes, Instacart shoppers don’t have to choose between earning income as an essential service provider or getting vaccinated,” Instacart’s founder Apoorva Mehta said in a statement.
Most of the states that are big proponents of administering vaccines lean heavily Democrat. However, Republican stronghold Texas recently became the first state to vaccinate 1 million citizens.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 31 million doses have been distributed throughout the United States; more than 15 million were administered to the public. Biden has said that he will get 100 million vaccinations done in his first 100 days in office.
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