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New survey finds waning interest in getting COVID-19 vaccines and boosters

Dr. Cutrell says some people may not see the need for the COVID-19 vaccine or the risk the same way they did early on in the pandemic. Others may still worry about side effects related to the vaccines.
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Dr. Cutrell says some people may not see the need for the COVID-19 vaccine or the risk the same way they did early on in the pandemic. Others may still worry about side effects related to the vaccines.

There was a spike in COVID-19 cases over the summer. Another’s possible in winter.

However, a survey from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases found less than 20% of U.S. adults were concerned about getting COVID-19 or other respiratory viruses or illnesses this season.

Dr. James Cutrell, an associate professor and infectious disease specialist with UT Southwestern Medical Center, explained to KERA’s Sam Baker what may account for the lack of interest in COVID-19 vaccines.

One thing is, I think because COVID maybe is not as much in the news, people don't necessarily see the need or the risk the same way that they did maybe early on in the pandemic.

 Secondly, I think there is still some lingering concerns about side effects related to the vaccines.

But 45% of those surveyed said they didn't plan to get the updated COVID-19 vaccine. And that study was done in August at or just after a COVID scare over the summer. Wouldn't that be an incentive to get the shot?

You would hope so. But I think when people see in the news, you know, reports of COVID-19 cases going up or when they see that national organizations like the CDC or Public Health are making recommendations, I think that has less of an impact.

If you look at people who have had COVID-19 or have people who are close to them who've had COVID-19, that is often a motivator and incentive for them to think about getting the vaccine.

And so I think it's more helping people understand their individual own personal risk that's going to move the needle in people getting the vaccine.

You mentioned the side effects. Are there side effects to worry about?

What we've learned over time is that the most common ones are some soreness or maybe a reaction at the local side where you get the vaccine. These tend to be very short lived and are gone a day or two later.

But there are some rare side effects. One that got a lot of attention is inflammation of the heart, what's called myocarditis. This seems to be more common in males and younger males.

And so we certainly do think about this when we're weighing the risks and benefits of vaccine, particularly and, you know, younger, healthy individuals.

But I think overall, particularly in those that are higher risk for having severe outcomes from Covid, the data is pretty clear that the benefits of the vaccine far outweigh any of the side effects or risks.

So some of the groups I think that we're really strongly encouraging to get the updated boosters would be:

  • Anyone who's over the age of 65. Those individuals oftentimes are at highest risk of being hospitalized or even dying from COVID.
  • People who have serious chronic medical health conditions. This could be chronic heart or lung disease, people who've had organ transplants, people who may have different types of cancer.
  • Individuals who are pregnant, you know, also are at higher risk for serious outcomes. And by getting the vaccine while you're pregnant, that can also help provide protected immunity or antibodies to your baby once they're born.

So those are some of the groups, I think, that are at the highest risk that we really want to encourage to get the updated vaccines for.

For yourself or for others?

Both.

For some of those individuals in those high-risk categories that I just mentioned, getting it for yourself is going to definitely provide a personal benefit.

But in some cases, people may be living with individuals who are at higher risk or, you know, maybe working in a higher risk area like hospitals, nursing homes, things like that. And so for those individuals, getting it to help protect those around them can be important as well.

I think this is also an area where we need to continue to do good real-world research on these vaccines, including in this new era when many people have already had COVID. So, they may have some natural immune protection.

And so, we need to understand what is the incremental benefit that these vaccines provide to individuals so that we can continue to give them accurate and useful information as we counsel them about whether getting another vaccine booster is right for them.

RESOURCES:

2024 National Survey: Attitudes and Behaviors about Influenza, COVID-19, Respiratory Syncytial Virus, and Pneumococcal Disease

 

How Americans View the Coronavirus, COVID-19 Vaccines Amid Declining Levels of Concern

 

The new COVID vaccine is out. Why you might not want to rush to get it

 

CDC: Respiratory Illnesses

CDC: Vaccines
Copyright 2024 KERA

Sam Baker is KERA's senior editor and local host for Morning Edition. The native of Beaumont, Texas, also edits and produces radio commentaries and Vital Signs, a series that's part of the station's Breakthroughs initiative. He also was the longtime host of KERA 13’s Emmy Award-winning public affairs program On the Record. He also won an Emmy in 2008 for KERA’s Sharing the Power: A Voter’s Voice Special, and has earned honors from the Associated Press and the Public Radio News Directors Inc.