More Than Half of Americans Worry That White House Pressure Will Lead to Rushed Coronavirus Vaccine
For weeks now, U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly made predictions, sometimes verging on promises, that a COVID-19 vaccine is imminent. “We remain on track to deliver a vaccine before the end of the year and maybe even before November 1st,” he said at a Sept. 4 news conference. “We think we can probably have it some time during the month of October.” As the Washington Post reported last week, administration officials say the President has become “fixated” on speeding up a vaccine development process that is already underway at an unprecedented rate and scope, to the point where nothing else captures his attention.
This single-mindedness is driving up skepticism among Americans about the viability of a coronavirus vaccine that comes through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval process. According to a poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation published Sept. 10, a majority of U.S. adults, 62%, said they’re worried that that pressure from the White House could lead the FDA to approve a vaccine before it’s determined to be safe and effective.
Despite Trump’s promises, it will likely be months before a coronavirus vaccine is available to the public, but these polling data may not bode well for American’s willingness to get vaccinated even then. A third of Americans have already said that they would not get a COVID-19 vaccine, according to a Gallup poll released in August.
This is especially concerning because vaccine uptake may be a deciding factor as to whether the country will be able to put an end to the pandemic. More people getting vaccinated would be especially necessary if the approved vaccination can only provide only limited immunity, and the FDA has signaled that it would approve a vaccine if it prevents disease or makes the illness less severe in as few as 50% of people.
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