ARE YOU SERIOUS?

Only Half of Americans Want to Get a COVID-19 Vaccine: Poll

One in five Americans said they have absolutely no intention of getting a coronavirus vaccine.

Scientists around the world are working around the clock to create a vaccine for the novel coronavirus—but only half of Americans want to get one, according to a new poll. The dispiriting numbers, from the Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, show that 31 percent of Americans weren’t sure if they’d get vaccinated while 20 percent said they’d outright refuse. That means only 49 percent definitely want to get a vaccine if scientists can create one. Among the Americans who said they wouldn’t get vaccinated, a vast majority told the pollsters they are concerned about whether a shot can be developed safety in a relatively short length of time. Francis Collins, who directs the National Institutes of Health, told AP earlier this month: “I would not want people to think that we’re cutting corners because that would be a big mistake. I think this is an effort to try to achieve efficiencies, but not to sacrifice rigor.”