Well-Being Prevention & Cures

About 1 in 4 unvaccinated young adults will ‘probably’ or ‘definitely’ not get a COVID-19 shot, study says

istock

Story at a glance

  • UC San Francisco researchers analyzed March survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau of more than 5,082 respondents ages 18 to 25.
  • More than 80 percent of respondents said they had not been vaccinated against the virus, as vaccines were not widely available in March.
  • Ten percent said they definitely won’t get the shot, and 14 percent said they probably won’t.

About a quarter of unvaccinated adults ages 18 to 25 in the U.S. say they “probably will not” or “definitely will not” get vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a new study. 

UC San Francisco researchers behind the study published Wednesday in the Journal of Adolescent Health analyzed March survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau of more than 5,082 respondents ages 18 to 25. 

Eighty-three percent of respondents said they had not been vaccinated against the virus, as vaccines were not widely available in March, with 10 percent saying they definitely won’t get the shot and 14 percent saying they probably won’t. 

More than half of unvaccinated respondents unlikely to get the shot said they were concerned about possible side effects while some said they may get the vaccine when it was shown to be safe. 


Our country is in a historic fight against the Coronavirus. Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news.


Researchers note that people in that age group are more likely than any other to transmit the virus, and while few young adults die of COVID-19, they account for more than 20 percent of all cases to date. 

“Young adults who have had COVID, regardless of symptoms, may be vulnerable to long-term complications and debilitating symptoms that may include respiratory difficulties, loss of smell and brain fog, often referred to as ‘long COVID,’” UC San Francisco researcher Sally Adams said in a statement. 

Vaccination rates among younger Americans have lagged behind shots administered to older groups. White House officials have said the U.S. fell shy of President Biden’s goal to administer at least one dose of vaccine to 70 percent of adults because of slower rates among Americans ages 18 to 27. 


READ MORE STORIES FROM CHANGING AMERICA

NEW ONE-DOSE COVID-19 VACCINE THAT CAN BE INHALED TESTED IN ANIMALS

NEW JOHNS HOPKINS MAP SHOWS COVID-19 CASES RISING ACROSS AMERICA

WHO SAYS ‘CATASTROPHIC WAVES’ OF NEW DELTA VARIANT CASES ARE DRIVEN BY GREED

FAUCI SAYS VACCINES SHOULD BE MANDATED LOCALLY ACROSS THE COUNTRY

THE DELTA VARIANT IS SPIKING IN THESE FOUR US STATES

TOP HEALTH EXPERT SAYS VACCINATED PEOPLE ARE SPREADING DELTA VARIANT


 


changing america copyright.