Number of US Individuals Getting Updated COVID-19 Shots Decreasing

A recent U.S. survey has revealed that the number of individuals getting updated COVID-19 shots has dropped compared to the release of the last revised vaccine, according to U.S. News & World Report.

According to the data presented last Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), roughly 7% of adults and 2% of children in the United States received the new COVID-19 vaccines during the first month of availability.

The CDC also found that nearly 38% of adults and parents said that they probably or definitely won’t get the vaccine for themselves nor for their children. Between mid-September to mid-October, those who did received the shots were more likely to be older, insured, and have higher incomes.

Last week, Mandy Cohen, CDC director, told Politico that she felt the nation was “on track” with the 12 million Americans who had received the vaccine in the first five weeks since its release. “Would I love to see more? Of course,” she said. “That’s my job as CDC director is to want more.”

Earlier in September as reported by U.S. News, a poll conducted by KFF, a nonpartisan, nonprofit source for health information, found that 19% of American adults would probably not get the newest vaccine, while 33% said they had absolutely no intentions of getting it. According to the CDC, as of May, just 17% of Americans had received the previously released vaccine.

Tedros Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), said at a press conference that month, “vaccination levels among the most at-risk groups remain worryingly low.”

“Two-thirds of the world’s population has received a complete primary series, but only one-third has received an additional, or ‘booster’ dose,” he continued. “COVID-19 may no longer be the acute crisis it was two years ago, but that does not mean we can ignore it.”