Talking Points: Will Americans Get The COVID-19 Vaccine?

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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout gets underway, one major question remains: Will Americans choose to get it?

A Gallup poll last month found that 42% of Americans say they wont get the vaccine while 58% say they will. Even among health care workers, there is reluctance.

A Centers for Disease Control survey found that 37% of health care workers say they are unlikely to get the shots while 63% say they are likely to get them.

Another concern is communities of color, which have lower vaccination rates in general and have been disproportionately affected by COVID. Communities of color are underserved and historically have been the subject of unethical medical experiments. Reaching out to people who may be skeptical will be a major part of Minnesota’s vaccination push.

Kris Ehresmann, Minnesota Department of Health infectious disease director, says that the vaccine is safe.

“Although its been available quickly, that doesn’t mean there were shortcuts with safety,” she said on WCCO Sunday Morning. “The best I would say is that I would be more than willing to get this vaccine right away, but I am not in the priority group.”

Another challenge in the information campaign is making sure people understand that one shot is not enough. All the vaccines that have been developed so far require two shots a few weeks apart to be effective.

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