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COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the United States is the sociocultural phenomenon of individuals refusing or displaying hesitance towards receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the United States can be considered as part of the broader history of vaccine hesitancy.
Vaccine hesitancy in the United States towards the COVID-19 vaccines has existed since the early stages of the vaccines' development. [5] [6] COVID-19 vaccine-hesitant people are not necessarily anti-vaccine. [7]
Soon after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, preexisting anti-vaxxer social networks started online and in-person campaigns to discredit the developing COVID-19 vaccines targeting United States citizens. [8] Anti-vaccination influencers used Twitter and other social media platforms to spread vaccine misinformation. [8] Some in the medical field have given false credibility to vaccine hesitant beliefs. This caused the Federation of State Medical Boards to issue a statement in July 2021 that any physicians who generate and spread vaccine misinformation or disinformation would risk disciplinary action. [9] [10]
White House sources revealed in March 2021 that Trump and his wife, Melania, had secretly received the COVID-19 vaccine in January. [11] [12] In April 2021, Trump referred to the COVID-19 vaccine as a "true miracle" and encouraged his supporters to take it. [13] In September 2021, Trump revealed to journalist Adam Shapiro that he received the Pfizer version of the vaccine and encouraged the general public to take the vaccine. [14] In the same interview, Trump blamed president Biden for the public's lack of trust in the vaccine: "When I was president, everybody wanted to get the vaccine... after I left, people don't want to take it and... I think it's because they don't trust Biden." [14] In December 2021, Trump called the vaccine "one of the greatest achievements of mankind"; commentators on MSNBC's Morning Joe called his statements politically motivated, with Al Sharpton comparing Trump's dishonest walking back of support for fringe views to moonwalking. [15] [16]
Ipsos polling data shows that vaccine hesitancy dropped from 63% in September 2020 to 20% in September 2021. The change was accompanied by COVID-19 fatigue, the Delta variant surge, and the FDA's formal approval of the Pfizer vaccine. [17]
Many news reports in 2021 noted when vaccine opponents died from COVID-19, though some criticized the practice as celebrating the suffering of others. [18] [19] [20]
In August 2021, a number of conservative talk radio hosts who had discouraged COVID-19 vaccination, or expressed skepticism toward the COVID-19 vaccine, died from COVID-19 complications. [21] [22] These included Marc Bernier (self-nicknamed "Mr. Antivax") from Daytona, Florida; [23] Dick Farrel, an anti-vaccine activist who referred to the pandemic as a "SCAM DEMIC"; [23] Jimmy DeYoung Sr.; [24] and Phil Valentine. [25] In September 2021, another anti-vaccine conservative radio host, Bob Enyart, died of COVID-19. [26] In November 2021, Marcus Lamb, an American televangelist and co-founder of the Daystar Television Network, who promoted skepticism toward all vaccines, died of COVID-19. [27] [28] [29] Anti-vaccine podcaster Doug Kuzma fell ill shortly after attending the right-wing conference "ReAwaken America" in December 2021, and died of COVID-19 the following month. [30]
In August 2021, Caleb Wallace, a Texas advocate against mask and vaccine mandates, died of COVID-19. [31] [32]
Kelly Ernby, a 46-year old deputy district attorney in Orange County, California who was also a California state assembly candidate and a critic of vaccine mandates, died January 2022, of COVID-19; she was not vaccinated. [33] Kelly Canon, an anti-vaccine activist in Arlington, Texas, also died of COVID-19 in January 2022. [34] Washington state trooper Robert LeMay was fired in October 2021, after refusing to be vaccinated despite a state mandate. He explained his position in a video that became popular online, and he died of COVID-19 in January 2022. [35]
The reasons for hesitancy towards COVID-19 vaccine are complex and vary between individuals, including concerns about side effects of the vaccination, [36] wanting to wait to see if the vaccine is safe, [36] and believing misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines [12] promulgated by conspiracy theories, including but not limited to incorrect beliefs that vaccines contain microchips from Bill Gates to track and control people, intentional side effects, infertility, and permanent genetic alteration. [12] Claims that a previous exposure to the virus gives a superior natural immunity versus the vaccine have been scientifically dismissed. [37] [38] Additional reasons for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy include fears about long-term health risks of vaccination, [12] belief in the strength of the body's "natural immune system" to fight infections without any vaccine, [38] mistrust in government, [39] and mistrust in mainstream medicine and institutions. [40] Local politics, including gubernatorial edicts against vaccine mandates as in Texas, also play a role in shaping public opinion. [41]
African Americans are more likely to be unvaccinated due to institutional mistrust. [42] [43]
There have been many lawsuits seen throughout the United States aimed against the vaccine mandates that were implemented in 2021. Two Staff Sergeants, one from the Army the other from the Marines, sued three federal agencies against their plans to conduct mandatory vaccination of all military troops, as military regulations state that troops can be exempted from vaccination showing documented previous infection. [44] After the announcement of President Joe Biden of a country wide vaccine mandate in September 2021, many organizations and politicians such as the Republican National Committee, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, and Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich stated they would sue the administration. [45]
Generally litigation for vaccine injury claims against manufacturers are filed with the United States Court of Federal Claims, sitting without a jury and compensation is provided by the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. The Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act) was invoked for Medical Countermeasures Against COVID-19 on March 17, 2020. [46] Under the PREP Act the HHS secretary provides legal protection to manufacturers of vaccines and treatments, unless there's willful misconduct, [47] [48] barring liability cases from vaccine injury despite low payout rates from the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. [49]
 | This section needs to be updated.(January 2023) |
Survey research of medical professionals in the United States shows a large majority of the American medical community accepts and trusts the COVID-19 vaccines. [50] [51] Medical professionals in the United States are vaccinated at a higher rate than the general public they serve. [52] For example, in August 2021 in Alabama, it was estimated 50-60% of hospital staff were vaccinated compared to a <35% vaccination rate for the total state population. [53] Regional vaccination rate in health care professionals parallels that of the local community, where states with higher vaccination rates have higher instances of vaccinated health care workers. [52] In July 2021, the Mayo Clinic, a nonprofit American academic medical center with over 60,000 employees, announced they would require staff to get vaccinated. [54]
A group of physicians joined parents and disability advocates in 2021 to form the No License for Disinformation group, which files complaints to the corresponding states medical boards against doctors who have spread false Covid statements to have all their licenses taken away. [10]
From December 2020 through March 2021, 361,538 service members, or 27.2 percent of the active-duty military, received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. [55] As of August 2021, over 1,000,000 active-duty and reserve forces were at least partially vaccinated. [56] Throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, vaccination rates have varied between the branches of the United States Armed Forces from the 74% rate in the Navy to the closer to 50% rate in the Army. On August 25, 2021, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, ordered mandatory vaccinations for most of the country's active duty and reserve forces, directing each branch "to impose ambitious timelines for implementation and to report regularly on vaccination completion using established systems for other mandatory vaccine reporting." [57] The US military will require service members to get the COVID-19 vaccine by September 15, 2021.
In response to the vaccine mandate, an Army staff sergeant and a Marine staff sergeant sued various federal government agencies to grant exemptions on mandatory COVID vaccinations for those who've had the virus. [37] As of September 2021, a judge did not grant a temporary block on mandatory vaccinations and the suit will continue through normal court procedures. [37]
In July 2021, the Department of Veterans Affairs mandated the COVID-19 vaccines for its more than 100,000 front-line workers, becoming the first federal agency to do so. [54] The VA is working with the American Legion on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy outreach. [58] On August 28, 2021, during the national convention of the American Legion, speaker Carolyn Clancy, the VA's Assistant Under Secretary for Health, described COVID-19 as an unprecedented public health emergency and encouraged vaccinated veterans to reach out to their peers who are vaccine-hesitant. [58] Clancy also described how 70 VA facilities were part of the vaccine trials during Operation Warp Speed, participation, she said, veterans should be "quite proud of." [58]
As of July 1, 2021, of the 380,000 people who work for the Department of Veterans Affairs, 298,186 are fully vaccinated, or 78 percent, a percentage higher than the national average but below what VA officials want for those providing health care. [59] As of July 1, 2021, 20,300 V.A. employees have contracted the coronavirus since March 2020. [59] In late July 2021, Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough released a press release announcing he will make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for Title 38 VA health care personnel. [59]
In Spring 2021, as vaccines became available to professional athletes, several professional leagues encountered substantial vaccine hesitancy among players. [60] [61] In August 2021 the Atlanta Falcons, a football team from the National Football League (NFL) located in Atlanta, Georgia, became the first NFL team to report being fully vaccinated. [62] The NFL's then-most recent MVP Aaron Rodgers was one of football's most prominent players to speak out against the vaccines and the league's protocols and was subsequently fined by the league for failing to mask during interviews with the media. [63]
In July 2021, the National Basketball Association (NBA) announced that 90% of NBA players were vaccinated. [64] Kyrie Irving refused vaccination and was barred from participating. [65] In June 2021, Major League Baseball (MLB) announced that two-thirds of the MLB teams had reached 85% vaccination rate. [66] Upon the start of the 2021–2022 National Hockey League (NHL) season, the league announced that over 99% of NHL players were vaccinated. [67] As of December 2021, Tyler Bertuzzi was the only player who had remained unvaccinated. [68]
In July 2021, the state of California and the city of New York announced a requirement for state employees to either get vaccinated or face weekly testing. [69] As of July 2021, the Biden administration seeks to increase the vaccination rate of federal employees. [70] As part of this vaccination effort, the administration required all contractors working for the federal government to get vaccinated or submit to regular testing and masking. [71]
Vaccine hesitancy is a delay in acceptance, or refusal, of vaccines despite the availability of vaccine services and supporting evidence. The term covers refusals to vaccinate, delaying vaccines, accepting vaccines but remaining uncertain about their use, or using certain vaccines but not others. The scientific consensus that vaccines are generally safe and effective is overwhelming. Vaccine hesitancy often results in disease outbreaks and deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases. Therefore, the World Health Organization characterizes vaccine hesitancy as one of the top ten global health threats.
A vaccination policy is a health policy adopted in order to prevent the spread of infectious disease. These policies are generally put into place by state or local governments, but may also be set by private facilities, such as workplaces or schools. Many policies have been developed and implemented since vaccines were first made widely available.
Children's Health Defense (CHD) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit activist group mainly known for anti-vaccine disinformation, and which has been called one of the main sources of misinformation on vaccines. Founded under the name World Mercury Project in 2007, it is chaired by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The group has been campaigning against various public health programs, such as vaccination and fluoridation of drinking water. The group has been contributing to vaccine hesitancy in the United States, encouraging citizens and legislators to support anti-vaccine regulations and legislation. Arguments against vaccination are contradicted by overwhelming scientific consensus about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. Its $15-million budget is funded through donations from individuals and affiliate marketing revenues.
Vaccine Choice Canada (VCC) is Canada's main anti-vaccination group. It was founded in the 1980s under the name Vaccination Risk Awareness Network (VRAN) and adopted its current name in 2014. The group has been contributing to vaccine hesitancy in Canada, encouraging citizens to forgo immunization and legislators to support anti-vaccine regulations and legislation.
Del Matthew Bigtree is an American television and film producer who is the CEO of the anti-vaccination group Informed Consent Action Network. He produced the film Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe, based on the discredited opinions of Andrew Wakefield and alleges an unsubstantiated connection between vaccines and autism.
In the United States, the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has resulted in 103,436,829 confirmed cases with 1,186,984 all-time deaths, the most of any country, and the 20th highest per capita worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic is the deadliest disaster in the country's history.
The Stop Mandatory Vaccination website and associated Facebook group are some of the major hubs of the American anti-vaccination movement. It was established by anti-vaccination activist Larry Cook in 2015.
The wearing of non-medical face masks in public to lessen the transmission of COVID-19 in the United States was first recommended by the CDC on April 3, 2020, as supplemental to hygiene and appropriate social distancing. Throughout the pandemic, various states, counties, and municipalities have issued health orders requiring the wearing of non-medical face coverings — such as cloth masks — in spaces and businesses accessible to the public, especially when physical distancing is not possible.
Misinformation related to immunization and the use of vaccines circulates in mass media and social media in spite of the fact that there is no serious hesitancy or debate within mainstream medical and scientific circles about the benefits of vaccination. Unsubstantiated safety concerns related to vaccines are often presented on the internet as being scientific information. A large proportion of internet sources on the topic are mostly inaccurate which can lead people searching for information to form misconceptions relating to vaccines.
Israel's COVID-19 vaccination programme, officially named "Give a Shoulder", began on 19 December 2020, and has been praised for its speed, having given twenty percent of the Israeli population the first dose of the vaccines' two dose regimen in the span of three weeks.
COVID-19 vaccination in Romania started on 27 December 2020. It was announced that the process would be divided into three phases. Medical personnel would be vaccinated first, followed by the population at risk, and finally by the rest of the population. Vaccination was declared free and non-mandatory. As of March 2022, five types of vaccines were authorized to be used in Romania. This is the largest vaccination campaign in the modern history of Romania.
The COVID-19 vaccination campaign in the United States is an ongoing mass immunization campaign for the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first granted emergency use authorization to the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine on December 10, 2020, and mass vaccinations began four days later. The Moderna vaccine was granted emergency use authorization on December 17, 2020, and the Janssen vaccine was granted emergency use authorization on February 27, 2021. By April 19, 2021, all U.S. states had opened vaccine eligibility to residents aged 16 and over. On May 10, 2021, the FDA approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for adolescents aged 12 to 15. On August 23, 2021, the FDA granted full approval to the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine for individuals aged 16 and over.
COVID-19 vaccination in New Zealand began on 20 February 2021, and will continue throughout the pandemic with the goal of vaccinating all willing New Zealanders aged 5 or older. Those aged 5 to 11 require a parent, caregiver or legal guardian accompany them to their appointment and provide consent for them to be vaccinated. As of 1 September, anyone in New Zealand, regardless of their immigration status, is eligible to be vaccinated.
The COVID-19 vaccination campaign began in Fiji on the first quarter of 2021 and will continue throughout the year with the goal of vaccinating all eligible Fijians. The government has made it mandatory for all eligible adults to take the COVID-19 vaccines.
The COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Ukraine is an ongoing mass immunization campaign for the COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine.
In many countries a variety of unfounded conspiracy theories and other misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines have spread based on misunderstood or misrepresented science, religion, and law. These have included exaggerated claims about side effects, misrepresentations about how the immune system works and when and how COVID-19 vaccines are made, a story about COVID-19 being spread by 5G, and other false or distorted information. This misinformation, some created by anti-vaccination activists, has proliferated and may have made many people averse to vaccination. This has led to governments and private organizations around the world introducing measures to incentivize or coerce vaccination, such as lotteries, mandates, and free entry to events, which has in turn led to further misinformation about the legality and effect of these measures themselves.
Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 vaccine mandates have been enacted by numerous states and municipalities in the United States, and also by private entities. In September 2021, President Joe Biden announced that the federal government would take steps to mandate COVID-19 vaccination for certain entities under the authority of the federal government or federal agencies. Most federal mandates thus imposed were either overturned through litigation, or withdrawn by the administration, although a mandate on health care workers in institutions receiving Medicare and Medicaid funds was upheld. All federal mandates were lifted when the national emergency was declared to have ended in May 2023. A small number of states have gone in the opposite direction, through executive orders or legislation designed to limit vaccination mandates.
The Biden administration COVID-19 action plan, also called the Path out of the Pandemic, is a substantial increase in the use of vaccination mandates as part of the U.S. federal government response to the COVID-19 pandemic announced by President Joe Biden on September 9, 2021, to be carried out by officials in the Biden administration. The plan included various announced prospective efforts, as well as the issuance of several executive orders.
Media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic includes reporting on the deaths of anti-vaccine advocates from COVID-19 as a phenomenon occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic. The media also reported on various websites documenting such deaths, with some outlets questioning whether this practice was overly unsympathetic. Reports noted phenomena including "deathbed conversions", in which vaccine opponents reportedly changed their minds and began encouraging vaccination before dying, with these claims meeting continued skepticism by vaccination opponents; and on groups of deaths within specific demographics, such as anti-vaccine radio hosts.
COVID-19 vaccination mandates in Canada are the responsibility of provinces, territories, and municipalities, and in the case of federal public services and federally-regulated transportation industries, the federal government. COVID-19 vaccines are free in Canada through the public health care system. The federal government is responsible for procurement and distribution of the vaccines to provincial and territorial authorities; provincial and territorial governments are responsible for administering vaccinations to people in their respective jurisdictions. Mass vaccination efforts began across Canada on December 14, 2020. As the second vaccinations became more widely available in June 2021, Manitoba became the first province in Canada to offer a voluntary vaccine passport.
Prominent Christian televangelist and anti-vaccine advocate Marcus Lamb died after being hospitalized with Covid-19, his family announced ... Marcus Lamb often spoke out against the Covid-19 vaccines on his show. ... Lamb said the Covid-19 vaccine was "not really a vaccine," but an "experimental shot" that was "dangerous. Marcus Lamb alleged that people were dying or having neurological disorders from the vaccine. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say Covid-19 vaccines "are safe and effective" and that any adverse events after vaccination "are rare but may occur."
He called ivermectin ... a "miracle drug." ... The Lamb family and Daystar have ... promoted misinformation about the virus and vaccines.
Ernby ... was not vaccinated against COVID-19 when she died earlier this week, according to friends. ... even before the pandemic [, in] late 2019, she spoke publicly against a new California law tightening immunization rules for California schoolchildren.
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