President Biden on Tuesday called on governors to allow coronavirus vaccinations for all adults within the next two weeks in an attempt to hasten a goal he had previously set for May 1.
However, recent polls and political tides, especially in red states, suggest that just making the vaccine available may not be enough if the country is to achieve herd immunity. Surveys show that a sizable minority of skeptics remain cautious about being vaccinated, with questions about the safety of the vaccine at the center of their doubts.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, said the country shouldn’t expect to achieve herd immunity – where a disease effectively stops moving freely between infected people – until at least 75 percent of Americans are vaccinated.
Some states and companies are starting to treat vaccination records as a kind of passport. For example, many cruise lines require proof of vaccination for passengers, and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced last month the creation of the Excelsior Pass, which will allow citizens to easily show proof of vaccination using a smartphone. Proof of shooting is now required to enter some major venues as per current New York reopening guidelines.
But the political picture is different elsewhere. On Monday, Texas’s Greg Abbott, after Florida’s Ron DeSantis, became the second Republican governor to sign an executive order preventing state agencies and many companies from requiring consumers to be vaccinated.
Dr. Fauci made it clear yesterday that he and the Biden administration would likely stay away from it. “I doubt that the federal government will be the main driver for a vaccination pass concept,” he told the Politico Dispatch podcast. “You can make things fair and equitable, but I doubt the federal government will be the leading element of that.”
According to surveys, it could take a while to vaccinate the entire country.
Almost half of American adults said they received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to an Axios / Ipsos poll published Tuesday. However, there is reason to believe that the surge in vaccinations may soon wear off. Among those who did not get a shot, people were more likely to say they would wait a year or more (25 percent) than they would receive the vaccine within a few weeks of its availability (19 percent). Thirty-one percent of Republicans said they wouldn’t get the shot at all. Partly driving style that is deeply rooted among white evangelical Christians, a core part of the republican base. Surveys have shown that they are among the most anti-vaccine populations.
A separate survey published Tuesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Washington Post found that more than a third of the country has little confidence that Covid-19 vaccines have been “properly tested for safety and effectiveness.” Concerning vaccine skepticism, health workers kept an even view of the rest of the population: thirty-six percent of them were not confident.
When it comes to trust, there is no greater measure than whether you would give something to your child. Dr. Fauci has made it clear that herd immunity is not possible for young people without widespread vaccination. Therefore, every destination for the country must include these as well. But nearly half of all parents interviewed by Axios / Ipsos said they probably wouldn’t come first to get their children a vaccine as soon as it becomes available.
Fifty-two percent of respondents with a child under 18 at home said they would likely use the vaccine once their child’s age group became an option, but 48 percent said they would not.
But even as some vaccine skepticism subsides, Americans report that they get together in far greater numbers. Fifty-five percent of the country said they had been with family or friends more than at any time in the past week. 45 percent said they had recently gone out to eat.
Thirty-six percent said they had not practiced social distancing at all in the past week.
On Politics is also available as a newsletter. Sign up here to have it delivered to your inbox.
Is there anything you think we are missing? Do you want to see more? We’d love to hear from you. Email us at onpolitics@nytimes.com.
