Omicron variant not convincing unvaccinated people to get the COVID-19 shot

The Omicron variant of COVID-19 is the newest variant of concern in the world-wide combat against the illness, but attitudes vary wildly about it – in particular when it will come to vaccinated vs. unvaccinated people today.

The Kaiser Family Foundation COVID-19 Vaccine Check, a fast response study, located that 50 % of grownups, which include fifty two% of vaccinated grownups, say they are nervous they individually will get critically sick from the coronavirus, up from thirty% in November, prior to the information of the Omicron variant. Unvaccinated grownups remain a lot less anxious, with about four in 10 (forty two%) stating they are nervous about acquiring critically sick.

The risk of the new variant may possibly be encouraging some vaccinated grownups to get a booster dose. Half of vaccinated grownups who have not but gained a booster dose (27% of all vaccinated grownups) say the information about the new Omicron variant would make them extra most likely to get a booster dose. There’s some confusion close to the CDC recommendation that all vaccinated grownups obtain a booster dose, with 23% of grownups (which include 21% of vaccinated grownups) stating they’re uncertain about the CDC’s recommendation or incorrectly stating the CDC has not encouraged this.

On the other hand, unvaccinated grownups remain rather unmoved by the new information of the Omicron variant, with a massive greater part of unvaccinated grownups (87%) stating the information about Omicron does not make them extra most likely to get vaccinated. Twelve % of unvaccinated grownups say information of the Omicron variant would make them extra most likely to get a vaccine.

When unvaccinated grownups are asked what would influence them to get a COVID-19 vaccine, 50 % say nothing at all could influence them. Significantly smaller shares supply that extra study and transparency (12%) could influence them to get vaccinated. Even much less say they would get vaccinated if they have been necessary for do the job or if the vaccine turned required (six%) if they gained massive monetary incentive for acquiring the vaccine (five%) if their doctor encouraged it (three%) or if the vaccine prevented a hundred% of all infections (three%).

What is THE Effect

On December 1, community overall health officials in California verified the initial circumstance of the Omicron variant was detected in an personal in the U.S. Due to the fact then, the variant has been detected in many states and community overall health officials are warning of improved transmission, hospitalizations and likely deaths.

Racial dissimilarities emerged in the data, as more substantial shares of Hispanic grownups (64%) as opposed to white grownups (forty three%) are nervous about acquiring sick, when 50 % of Black grownups (fifty two%) report the same. In the same way, a more substantial share of vaccinated grownups (fifty two%) than unvaccinated grownups (forty two%) say they are nervous about acquiring sick, as do more substantial shares of Democrats (fifty seven%) as opposed to independents (46%) and Republicans (39%).

With the CDC increasing tips for supplemental doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for all completely vaccinated grownups, 50 % of vaccinated grownups (49%) now say they have gained an supplemental dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. And 50 % of vaccinated grownups who have not but gotten a booster dose (27% of all vaccinated grownups) say the information about the Omicron variant would make them extra most likely to get a booster dose.

THE Much larger Pattern

The Environment Well being Firm declared Omicron a “variant of concern” in November, and several unknowns still remain, this sort of as how productive vaccines will be at mitigating its spread.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has signaled its intent to actively do the job with federal associates, international regulators and clinical merchandise companies to rapidly address any likely impacts of the new Omicron variant on the instruments becoming used to combat the pandemic.

In an announcement this month, the Food and drug administration reported it can be working rapidly to evaluate the likely influence of this variant on at present readily available diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. The company has promised to talk this info to the community.

That could just take a when. Traditionally, the do the job to attain the genetic info and affected individual samples for variants, and then execute the testing needed to evaluate their influence, usually takes time. The Food and drug administration did, however, say that it expects most of this do the job to be done “in the coming weeks.”

Meanwhile, Fitch Scores has located that when the Omicron variant of COVID-19 will most likely cause troubles for the nation’s hospitals, nonprofit hospitals in unique will be capable to deal with these troubles without outsized effects on operations and income flows.

A minimal extra than a week immediately after Omicron was initial detected in the U.S., 21 states have verified circumstances of the new COVID-19 variant.

Booster shots are needed to neutralize the Omicron variant, in accordance to a statement unveiled by Pfizer. An initial laboratory examine shown that antibodies induced by the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine neutralize the Omicron variant immediately after three doses, the firm reported.
 

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