A recent poll by the Pew
Research Center found that 60%
of Americans say they would definitely or probably get the COVID-19 vaccine, while 40% say
they are not likely.
The statistics are alarming
for officials hoping a vaccine will produce herd immunity. "Mathematically
that doesn’t work," says Gov.
Andrew Cuomo. "You
need 75% population to take it for it to be effective.”
New York Medical College Dr. Robert Amler says public health
officials and community groups have their work convincing Americans to get the vaccine cut out from them. “We need to listen and
understand what possible stumbling blocks people feel or what hesitation they
feel,” says Dr. Amler.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced its
plans to spend $250 million on educating the public about
coronavirus vaccines.
The New York Medical College
official also points out the obvious reasons many people still need to be
convinced, saying in part, “We have to
have the right stuff in the bottle to give people. But if they
don't get the word, they don't get the message and they don't hear it in terms
they can accept and understand, they are going to be hesitant.”