Finally, the people have gotten what they wanted: vaccines for combatting the coronavirus. However, even though a vaccine seemed to be the be-all and end-all cure for 2020, the majority of Americans say they would not take it. In fact, in a poll done by YouGov, only forty-two percent of Americans reported that they would get the vaccine. This number is declining.
The speed by which vaccinations have been created has had a major influence on peoples’ perceptions of them. Many people falsely assume that they were hastily developed and are unreliable.
Much of this distrust is due to anti-vaccination ideas spread on the internet. Many popular Facebook groups and discussion forums have made false claims and conspiracy theories surrounding the virus. Some believe that the government is providing a vaccine for their own economic benefit or that a vaccine is more harmful than the virus itself. Neither statements have been proven to hold any truth. Facebook has banned some of these groups, but their impact remains.
Minority groups have notable skepticism of the vaccine. A mere thirty-two percent of Black Americans say that they would get a coronavirus vaccine. This is vital because BIPOC have been disproportionately affected by the virus. Their suspicion behind the vaccines are not without warrant: minorities have been historically mistreated by the U.S. healthcare system.
In an attempt to convince the American people that the vaccines are trustworthy, former presidents Obama, Clinton, and Bush have stated that they will publicly take it, possibly in front of a camera.
It is presumed that around sixty percent of the American population must be vaccinated in order to end Covid-19. Currently, this seems like a stretch. If Americans want the spread of the coronavirus to stop, then eighteen percent of skeptics need to be convinced that the vaccines are trustworthy.