Roughly half of Americans are interested in getting the latest COVID-19 booster shot, according to a poll Friday that reflects attitudes heading into the fall immunization season.
The Reuters-Ipsos poll said 30% of people are very interested in the shot, which is fine-tuned to target the XBB variant and sub-lineages that appeared earlier this year.
Another 24% are somewhat interested in a booster while 17% were “not very” interested and 30% were not interested at all.
If persons follow through on their eagerness, uptake of the latest booster would exceed the use of the “bivalent” booster that was offered in the fall of last year. Only 17% of the U.S. population received that shot, according to federal data.
The Biden administration is promoting the new shot in an attempt to stave off a wave of hospitalization and deaths this fall. It is characterizing the shot as an annual rite, akin to the flu shot, instead of a booster taken on top of previous shots for COVID-19.
There has been an uptick in cases of late, though hospitalizations remain low, and previous polling shows many Americans have moved on from the coronavirus crisis.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently recommended the boosters from Pfizer and Moderna for everyone 6 months and older.
Some public health experts say the blanket recommendation isn’t needed and the booster effort should focus on at-risk groups, such as the elderly and those with preexisting conditions.
The Reuters poll says about 14% of those not interested in the shot said it was because they caught COVID-19 before, while another 14% said their previous shot should be enough. About 3% said they don’t need the vaccine, citing their age group.
Drugmakers expect demand for COVID-19 shots to drop, or at least fluctuate. They increased the list price for the shots to over $100, saying the government is no longer guaranteeing purchases and they must cover their own costs and risk.
Most consumers will not have to pay anything because they have insurance or can tap into a government program that pays for the boosters.
The new poll was conducted between Sept. 8 and Sept. 14 among 4,413 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of about 2 points.
For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.