Less than half of Americans have said that they will definitely get a coronavirus vaccine, according to a new poll conducted amid the ongoing pandemic.
The poll from the Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research, asked 1056 adults nationally in the US, if they plan on getting vaccinated when one in made available for Covid-19.
Only 49 per cent of those asked, said that they will get vaccinated to protect against the coronavirus.
The poll found that 31 per cent of Americans said that they were unsure if they would get a vaccine.
Additionally, 20 percent included in the poll, said that they would refuse to get a coronavirus vaccine, if one was made available.
The poll found that 67 per cent of people over 60 years old said they they would get a vaccine, while only 40 per cent of under 60s said they would.
The most common reason found in the poll for getting a vaccine, was “I want to protect myself,” at 93 per cent, closely followed by “I want to protect my family,” at 88 per cent.
A political divide was found in the poll, and 62 per cent of Democrats said they would get vaccinated, while only 43 per cent of Republicans said they would.
However, for the 20 per cent who said they would not get the vaccine, 70 per cent reasoned that they would be concerned about the side effects.
Melanie Dries, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, told the Associated Press: “I am not an anti-vaxxer,” but the 56-year-old added: “to get a Covid-19 vaccine within a year or two...causes me to fear that it won’t be widely tested as to side effects.”
Dr Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), told the outlet that the NIH is making sure the safety of the vaccine is a high priority.
“I would not want people to think that we’re cutting corners because that would be a big mistake. I think this is an effort to try to achieve efficiencies, but not to sacrifice rigour,” Mr Collins said.
“Definitely the worst thing that could happen is if we rush through a vaccine that turns out to have significant side effects,” he added.
According to a tracking project hosted by Johns Hopkins University, there are now more than 1.6 million people who have tested positive for coronavirus in the US. The death toll has reached at least 98,929.
