New Poll Shows Only Half Of Americans Would Get A Covid-19 Vaccine Once Available

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Neonatologist Valentina Gerginova prepares a dose of BCG vaccine in Vita private hospital in Sofia ... [+] on May 20, 20120. - As labs test if the traditional BCG anti-tuberculosis vaccine offers any protection against coronavirus, Bulgaria is holding its breath in the hope of new markets for the millions of BCG doses it makes every year. Bulgaria would benefit several times over if the BCG vaccine proves to be effective against the coronavirus: the Balkan country is a major producer of the vaccine. (Photo by NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV / AFP) (Photo by NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV/AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty Images

As researchers race to develop an effective vaccine for the Covid-19 coronavirus, only half of Americans would agree to getting it.

A new nationwide poll of more than 1,000 adults conducted May 14-18, 2020 by the Associated Press—NORC Center for Public Affairs Research reveals that 49% of respondents plan to get vaccinated while 20% say they will not. Another 31% say they are just not sure.

Of those who say they will get a vaccine, 56% are white, 25% are black and 37% Hispanic. The vast majority say they would agree to it in order to protect themselves and their families.

Among the 20% who say they will definitely avoid a vaccine, they list fear of side effects as the main reason for their decision. The second top reason for avoiding it is fear of contracting the illness from the vaccine.

In terms of the timeline for a vaccine, 61% of people believe one will be available by the end of the year while 17% think it will take longer.

The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4.2 percentage points, the researchers say.

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