A growing online movement has some medical professionals concerned the nation won’t achieve a herd immunity once a COVID-19 vaccine is developed, underscoring a need for better public health education and provider communication.
Although support for vaccinations is generally high — a Gallup survey recently reported that 84 percent of adults agree it’s important children get vaccinated — public sentiment is trending downward. In 2001, 94 percent of adults said it was important to get their children vaccinated.
That trend is concerning in normal times, but as the nation stares down an incredibly contagious virus, it has public health experts especially on edge. How will the growing trend of vaccine hesitancy affect access rates when a COVID-19 immunization goes on the market?
