Originally Posted By OT2000⏩

Originally Posted By SoutheastBeast1⏩

AP-NORC poll: Most unvaccinated Americans don't want shots

Most Americans who haven’t been vaccinated against COVID-19 say they are unlikely to get the shots and doubt they would work against the aggressive delta variant despite evidence they do, according to a new poll that underscores the challenges facing public health officials amid soaring infections in some states.

Among American adults who have not yet received a vaccine, 35% say they probably will not, and 45% say they definitely will not, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Just 3% say they definitely will get the shots, though another 16% say they probably will.

What's more, 64% of unvaccinated Americans have little to no confidence the shots are effective against variants — including the delta variant that officials say is responsible for 83% of new cases in the U.S. — despite evidence that they offer strong protection. In contrast, 86% of those who have already been vaccinated have at least some confidence that the vaccines will work.

The days of vaccine lotteries are waning. Here come the mandates.

Healthcare workers who refused to get vaccinated have been fired or quit in New Jersey and Texas. In New York City, public health workers who refuse to get vaccinated will face weekly COVID tests

Multiple experts told USA TODAY that a virus circulating at high rates among unvaccinated people tests the effectiveness of vaccines. It also increases the chance that even worse variants of the virus will arise.

Wen is among experts who say vaccine requirements should be seen as akin to laws against drunk driving and other reckless behavior.

A Friday USA TODAY opinion piece said the Biden administration should embrace "targeted vaccine mandates," with a vaccine requirement for air travel being the most urgent. A Los Angeles Times editorial argued the "carrots" of lotteries and giveaways haven't been enough to convince millions of Americans to get vaccinated, so "it’s time to break out the sticks."

“We need something a lot more dramatic,” said Wen. She previously served as Baltimore's Health Commissioner and in her experience “mandates work.”

So the future of vaccine mandates in the U.S. will be likely driven by employers — not federal or state governments, according to Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University's School of Public Health.

Employers will be increasingly motivated to make sure their workforce isn't sickened en masse and that infected workers don't endanger customers, Jha said.

The vaccines have been distributed under an emergency use authorization status, and an April analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation found it was "unclear whether COVID-19 vaccination could be legally mandated while the FDA’s (emergency use authorization) is in place."

But Jha said recent court rulings show the vaccines' current status is not a significant legal barrier that would prevent mandates. He said the distinction is more "psychological" than legal.

Jha said the move toward mandates and vaccine rules isn't surprising: “We always kind of knew this day was coming.” Forcing people to get vaccinated "is not some new thing,” he said.

The rules will likely be effective at targeting a huge swath of the unvaccinated population: People who aren't “fundamentally opposed” to getting vaccinated but "don’t think they need one," Jha said.