Though access to COVID-19 vaccines remains limited, polling suggests a slice of Americans want to “wait and see” how the shots work for other people before they get vaccinated themselves.
But experts say that getting the vaccine as soon as it’s available to you will be vital for protecting yourself and others, stopping virus variants in their tracks, and resuming some level of normalcy.
The share of people in this “wait and see” category has declined over time, according to polling by the health-policy think tank Kaiser Family Foundation, dropping from 39% in December to 31% in January. In February, the most recent survey, it stood at 22%. This happened alongside a gradual increase in the share of respondents (most recently 55%) reporting they’d either gotten at least one dose or would get the vaccine as soon as possible.
Black adults (34%), young adults aged 18 to 29 (33%), Hispanic adults (26%), adults without a college degree (25%), and non-health essential workers (25%) had the highest shares of respondents in the wait-and-see group.
The most common concerns in the wait-and-see cohort were the potential for serious side effects; the possibility of getting COVID-19 from the vaccine, which health authorities say cannot happen; the prospect of missing work due to side effects; and the potential need to pay out of pocket for the vaccine, though the vaccines are free. A quarter of wait-and-seers said a one-dose vaccine would make them more likely to get their shot.
Susan Lopez, a hospitalist affiliated with Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, says community members have raised questions about waiting to get vaccinated against COVID-19 during every one of the 12 vaccine-outreach sessions she has done.
“I get a lot of questions about long-term effects, like months and years later on, especially with regards to mRNA vaccines since they keep hearing it’s new technology,” Lopez told MarketWatch. Many people also feel overwhelmed by the technological logistics of registering for a vaccine appointment, she added.
Lopez said she tells community members who say they want to wait that she’s there to provide them with the information they need to make the decision best for them. But she reassures them that no safety steps were skipped in the vaccine-development process, that all of the vaccines have been studied, and that researchers will continue to gather safety information.
Lopez stressed the importance of asking people why they want to wait rather than assuming. Healthcare professionals should acknowledge that those feelings are valid, she said, while also answering questions and providing information.
About one-fifth of respondents to KFF’s latest survey said they definitely wouldn’t get vaccinated (15%) or would do so only if required (7%). But KFF chief executive Drew Altman likened the wait-and-see cohort to “persuadable swing voters.” He reasoned they should be a key focus in efforts to shore up vaccine confidence, “especially in Black and Latino communities where the need for building vaccine confidence and addressing information needs and barriers to access is the most urgent.”
