The US is Running Out of People Willing to Get the COVID-19 Vaccine
DannyB writes:
The US could fall short of vaccinating enough people to stop the coronavirus from spreading because not enough Americans are willing to get a COVID-19 shot, the Kaiser Family Foundation, a leading health nonprofit, warned Tuesday.
The nation's ample vaccine supply will outstrip "vaccine enthusiasm" within two to four weeks, the KFF said. Exact timing in each state could differ, it said.
Experts have estimated that about 70% of people need to be immunized to reach herd immunity, the threshold at which the virus can no longer easily spread. This could be difficult if Americans stop coming forward to get a COVID-19 shot, the KFF said.
[....] "The folks that wanted it have found it. The folks that don't want it are not bothering to find it," he said.
Some mass-vaccination sites are even shutting down because of dwindling demand, Forbes reported. These included three sites in Florida that were operating at less than half capacity and would be shut down in favor of mobile sites, per The Palm Beach Post.
Officials are also closing down sites in Georgia, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, among other states, and a planned mass-vaccine clinic in Ohio was canceled this week because of "decreased demand," Forbes reported.
It comes as President Joe Biden is expected to announce later Thursday that the US has met his vaccination goal of 200 million shots before his 100th day in office, which is April 30. More than 51.5% of adults have had at least one shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[....] On Monday, the White House launched a media campaign to tackle vaccine hesitancy, including among younger people.
[....] On Wednesday, Biden called for employers to offer paid time off for vaccines, including time for employees to recover from side effects. He also reaffirmed his commitment to a tax credit for small businesses designed to offset the cost of people taking a day off to get vaccinated.
If we run out of people who want the vaccine, maybe other countries could send us an emergency supply.
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