A vaccine could end the Coronavirus pandemic. Hence, hardly anybody would refuse to take it. But as per a poll, that may be a wrong assumption if a vaccine is out before the U.S. Presidential Election. Most Americans are wary of a rushed vaccine that could not only be a game-changer during the pandemic but also for politics, especially in favor of U.S. President Donald Trump.
With the vaccine candidate from the joint collaboration of Oxford University and AstraZeneca in its final testing phase and so is Moderna's, Coronavirus immunization may be available by the end of the year. However, more than a health crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a political catastrophe with both Republicans and Democrats trying to take advantage of it before the election. Thus, Americans worry that if a vaccine is approved before November 3 poll, it would actually be a rushed one without proven efficacy and safety.
What Does America Say?
Recently states received a notice from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to begin preparation to distribute a Coronavirus vaccine by November 1 — two days before the Elections. But as per a poll conducted by KFF, 54 percent of Americans say they would not take a vaccine even if the CDC approved it and made it available before November. Around 42 percent of them would have no problem in taking the vaccine.
However, when it comes to age-wise divisions, people, aged between 18 and 29, trust the CDC and 54 percent of them would get vaccinated while people between 30 and 64 have reservations against taking it.
However, there is no party-wise division in taking the vaccination shot. Around 60 percent of Republican voters said no to a vaccine before the election while Democrats are divided in their opinion with 48 percent of people eager while as many of them didn't want to get the immunization shot. The story is same among racial divisions. Around 67 percent of Black and non-Hispanic Americans are refusing to take vaccine before the vote while 52 percent among Whites saying no.
Trust in Federal Agencies Fading
Amid reports of a Trump administration official pressuring the CDC into altering the Coronavirus info in favor of the President, the trust in federal agencies seems to be fading. Around 60 percent of the American adults are worried that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would rush to approve a vaccine due to political pressure.
The division is also stark among the party lines with around 85 percent of Democratic voters are concerned about the FDA's role while only 35 percent of Republicans have reservations against the agency. But, 61 percent of independent voters are also concerned about the FDA. However, most of the Americans surveyed believe a vaccine will not be available before the election.
"About four in ten adults overall say both the FDA (39 percent) and the CDC (42) are paying 'too much attention' to politics when it comes to reviewing and approving treatments for coronavirus or issuing guidelines and recommendations," the poll suggests.
Voters Trust Biden in Health Care
Around 55 percent of Americans don't approve the way Trump has handled the Coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. and the sentiment has been echoed in how he could handle other health-related issues. Over half of Americans trust Democratic candidate Joe Biden would be the better person to tackle the problems.
However, it is also divided among party lines. Around 92 percent of Democrats trust Biden to tackle healthcare issues and disapprove of Trump. Around 93 percent of Republicans approve Trump and disapprove Biden.
The survey was conducted between August 28 and September 3, over telephone with a random sample of 1,199 American adults. The survey has a sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.
