With COVID-19 vaccines being disseminated, more than half of American adults had received at least one dose, as shown by a Monmouth University poll on Wednesday. However, over two in five Republicans stated that they would avoid being administered a vaccine if possible.
They said that President Joe Biden has not succeeded in depoliticizing the novel coronavirus vaccines, which leaves open the question of whether the United States will achieve herd immunity without a greater push from GOP leaders to bring their voters on board.
GOP Disapproval on COVID-19 Vaccines
An estimated 43 percent of the GOP indicated that they would not receive the coronavirus vaccine, according to a new poll of just more than 800 adults in the U.S. The survey was initiated by Monmouth University Polling, reported CBS 42.
The total of U.S. senators who have publicly announced they are still not vaccinated or are not planning to be soon is down to three after Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) declared on Tuesday that he would receive inoculation. According to spokesperson Kelsey Cooper, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has yet to be vaccinated since he already had COVID-19 and thinks there are many millions of other Americans who should be administered the vaccine ahead of him, reported Forbes.
The results of the poll by Monmouth lined up with those of Quinnipiac University's survey. The latter was also released on Wednesday. It found that 45 percent of the GOP indicated they are not planning to get immunized. Among Democrats, two-thirds have already been administered at least one vaccine shot, as shown in the Monmouth poll. Just more than half that share of Republicans have done so, which is 36 percent, reported The New York Times.
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The Monmouth University polling showed that 1 in 5 of individuals surveyed stated that they would be unwilling to be administered the vaccine if they could avoid it. That number is down around 4 percent from January to February.
According to Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute, "The number of people who have been skittish about the vaccine has dropped as more Americans line up for the shot, but the hardcore group who want to avoid it at all costs has barely budged. The recent news about J&J vaccines is probably not going to help that situation. On the other hand, it might not make it all that much worse since much of this reluctance is really ingrained in partisan identity."
Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) remarked he is considering receiving the vaccine. However, he also expressed concerns over the association that vaccinations have with abortion-derived cell lines. Meanwhile, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said he had not received a dose because he already had COVID-19 and believed he is immune. He added those who have not been infected need it more than he does.
In tackling the pandemic, Americans generally provide positive marks to Biden and their state's governor. According to the Monmouth poll, both public figures were seen as overseeing the pandemic well by 62 percent of U.S. citizens.
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