A top health official on Sunday pleaded with Americans to overcome skepticism surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institute of Health, said on "Meet the Press" that convincing enough people to get vaccinated against the virus is a "great concern" among health officials when asked about a study that found just under half of health care workers in Miami-Dade County's public hospital network would be interested in getting the vaccine in the coming weeks.
"I would like to plead with people who are listening to this this morning to really hit the reset button on whatever they think they knew about this vaccine that might cause them to be so skeptical," Collins said on "Meet the Press."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the first coronavirus vaccine for emergency use on Friday.
Drugmaker Pfizer is expected to deliver roughly 2.9 million initial doses across the United States this coming week, The New York Times reports. High risk populations, including health care workers and residents at assisted living facilities, will be prioritized for the first doses. The vaccine will likely be widely available to the public by late spring or early summer.
Pfizer's vaccine, which requires two doses, has an efficacy of 95%.
Moderna has also applied for emergency use authorization from the FDA. Its vaccine, which has an efficacy of more than 94% and also requires two doses, will likely be recommended for authorization on Dec. 17.
A vaccine's efficacy is measured under "ideal conditions" in controlled clinical trials.
Both companies have said no serious health concerns were found during their trials.
"I think all reasonable people — if they have the chance to put the noise aside and disregard all those terrible conspiracy theories — would look at this and say, 'I want this for my family. I want it for myself'," Collins told "Meet the Press." "People are dying right now. How could you possibly say let's wait and see if that might mean some terrible tragedy is gonna befall?"
A Gallup poll released last week found 63% of Americans say they would get vaccinated against the virus when the shot is available to them. Another poll from The Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found roughly half of Americans are ready to get the vaccine.
Collins urged Americans, especially health care workers, to take the vaccine when it's available to them.
"Please, people, when you look back in a year and you say to yourself, 'Did I do the right thing?' I hope you'll be able to say 'Yes because I looked at the evidence'," he told "Meet the Press."
