Poll highlights declining willingness in U.S. to be vaccinated against coronavirus

A new poll by Gallup is showing sharp declines in Americans’ willingness to be vaccinated for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Just 50% of respondents expressed a willingness to get a Food and Drug Administration-approved COVID-19 vaccine; this is down 11 percentage points since August, and 16 points since July. The poll shows divergent trends on political party lines, with Republicans showing increased willingness to be vaccinated while Democrats and independents showing decreased comfort levels.

Meanwhile, a case study published in The Lancet is questioning the potential for experience of the disease to confer immunity, thus diminishing the prospects of a herd immunity that would negate the need for widespread vaccination against SARS-CoV-2.