Number of U.S. adults ready to take COVID-19 vaccine

(HealthDay) – From April to December, there was a significant drop in the number of Americans who say they are ready to be vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a research letter published online Dec. 29 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Peter G. Szilagyi, MD, of the University of California at Los Angeles, and his colleagues conducted a bi-weekly online survey (8,167 participants; April 1-14 to November 25 to December 8) to assess trends the probability of the public to obtain a vaccine against covid19.

Researchers found that during the survey period from November 25 to December 8, the self-reported likelihood of being vaccinated against COVID-19 was lower in women than in men (51 vs. 62%; adjusted risk ratio [aRR], 0.9) and black versus white (38 versus 59 percent; aRR, 0.7). The likelihood of vaccination was higher among adults aged 65 and older compared to those aged 18 to 49 (69 versus 51 percent; aRR, 1.4) and among those with at least a bachelor’s degree versus a high school diploma or less (70 versus 48 percent; aRR, 1.5). During the entire period of the survey (April 1 to 14 to November 25 to December 8), the percentage of those who said they were somewhat or very likely to get the vaccine increased from 74 to 56 percent. These significant declines over time were observed for both women and men and in all age, racial / ethnic and school subgroups.

“The low likelihood of getting a COVID-19 vaccine among blacks and those with low education levels is of particular concern because of their disproportionately higher burden of COVID-19 disease,” the authors write .

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