Reluctance by those living in the USA to be vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine
After the December 2020 introduction of COVID vaccines, a partisan gap in death rates developed, indicating the effects of vaccine skepticism.[1] As of March 2024, more than 30 percent of Republicans had not received a Covid vaccine, compared with less than 10 percent of Democrats.[1]
Anti vaccine protester -Worthington, Ohio - August 14, 2021Percent of people of all ages who received all doses prescribed by the initial COVID-19 vaccination protocol. Two of the three COVID-19 vaccines used in the U.S. require two shots to be fully vaccinated. The other vaccine requires only one shot. Booster doses are recommended too.[2][3] SeeCommons source for date of last upload.Map of cumulative COVID-19 death rates by US state.[4]
COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the United States is the sociocultural phenomenon of individuals refusing or displaying hesitance towards receiving theCOVID-19 vaccine. COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the United States can be considered as part of the broader history ofvaccine 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 theCOVID-19 pandemic, preexisting anti-vaxxer social networks started online and in-person campaigns to discredit the developingCOVID-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 theFederation 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 journalistAdam Shapiro that he received thePfizer 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 onMSNBC'sMorning Joe called his statements politically motivated, withAl Sharpton comparing Trump's dishonest walking back of support forfringe views tomoonwalking.[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, theDelta variant surge, and the FDA's formal approval of the Pfizer vaccine.[17]
Anti-vaccine public figures who died from COVID-19
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 ofconservative 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, ananti-vaccine activist who referred to the pandemic as a "SCAM DEMIC";[23] Jimmy DeYoung Sr.;[24] andPhil 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 theDaystar 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 inOrange County, California who was also aCalifornia 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 inArlington, 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 byconspiracy 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]
There have been many lawsuits seen throughout the United States aimed against the vaccine mandates that were implemented in 2021. TwoStaff 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 theRepublican National Committee,South Dakota GovernorKristi Noem, andArizona Attorney GeneralMark Brnovich stated they would sue the administration.[45]
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, theMayo Clinic, anonprofit Americanacademicmedical center with over 60,000 employees, announced they would require staff to get vaccinated.[54]
In 2021, a group of physicians, parents, and disability advocates united to establish the non-profit organization No License for Disinformation (NLFD). Formed by clinically practicing physicians whose patient care was significantly impacted by patients holding false beliefs, the group aimed to address the spread of medical misinformation. These doctors revealed that their patients were repeating medical misinformation, using phrases commonly employed by leading politically affiliated doctors[55] associated with the 2020 Donald Trump Presidential reelection campaign. On September 21, 2021, the authors and founders of NLFD made their announcement[56] in the Washington Post. They highlighted the detrimental effects of Trump’s doctors[57] and urged the State Medical Boards to take action to halt this widespread misinformation campaign.
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.[58] As of August 2021, over 1,000,000 active-duty and reserve forces were at least partially vaccinated.[59] Throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, vaccination rates have varied between the branches of theUnited States Armed Forces from the 74% rate in the Navy to the closer to 50% rate in the Army. On August 25, 2021, Defense SecretaryLloyd 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."[60] 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, theDepartment 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 theAmerican Legion on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy outreach.[61] 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.[61] Clancy also described how 70 VA facilities were part of the vaccine trials duringOperation Warp Speed, participation, she said, veterans should be "quite proud of."[61]
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.[62] As of July 1, 2021, 20,300 V.A. employees have contracted the coronavirus since March 2020.[62] In late July 2021, Department of Veterans Affairs SecretaryDenis McDonough released a press release announcing he will make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for Title 38 VA health care personnel.[62]
In Spring 2021, as vaccines became available to professional athletes, several professional leagues encountered substantial vaccine hesitancy among players.[63][64] In August 2021 theAtlanta Falcons, afootball team from theNational Football League (NFL) located inAtlanta, Georgia, became the first NFL team to report being fully vaccinated.[65] The NFL's then-most recentMVPAaron Rodgers was one of football's most prominent players to speak out against the vaccines and the league's protocols. He was subsequently fined by the league for failing to wear a mask during interviews with the media.[66]
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.[72] As of July 2021, the Biden administration seeks to increase the vaccination rate of federal employees.[73] 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.[74]
As of 2025, the Trump administration is looking to remove covid-19 vaccination data from federal employees' personnel documents, eliminating instances of non-compliance with vaccine mandates and requests for exemptions from any mandates[75].
^abLeonhardt, David (March 11, 2024)."The Fourth Anniversary of the Covid Pandemic".The New York Times.Archived from the original on March 11, 2024. "Data excludes Alaska. Sources: C.D.C. Wonder; Edison Research. (Chart) By The New York Times. Source credits chart to Ashley Wu.
^CDC COVID Data Tracker: Vaccinations in the US. View: People. Show: Fully Vaccinated. Population: Total Population. Resulting map will be labeled: "Percent of People Fully Vaccinated Reported to the CDC by State/Territory and for Select Federal Entities for the Total Population". Hover or click on locations for more data.
^COVID-19 Deaths per 100K.U.S. News & World Report. Run your cursor over the map to see the dates and data for each state. "The data on this page is courtesy ofUSAFacts – a nonprofit, nonpartisan civic initiative – and includes information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local health departments. See adetailed methodology at the USAFactswebsite."
^Hassan, Carma (December 1, 2021)."Christian television network founder and preacher Marcus Lamb, who discouraged vaccinations, dies after being hospitalized for Covid-19".CNN.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."
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