Frantic lineups for scarce doses when Covid vaccines first became available have long since given way to widespread indifference. Each new round of boosters has drawn fewer bared arms than the round before it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that, as of Jan. 6, a mere 21.5% of Americans aged 18 and older and 11% of children have been vaccinated with the latest Covid vaccine.
But before you write off that number as a reflection of hesitancy over vaccines overall, consider this: 46.7% of Americans aged 18 and older and 47.5% of children have been vaccinated against influenza for this cold and flu season. In older adults, who are at the greatest risk from Covid, the gap is wider still; 73% of people 65 and older have received a flu shot, but only 41% have taken the Covid booster.
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It’s not clear that a single definitive answer exists; in fact there is likely a combination of explanations, say people who study vaccine acceptance and vaccine hesitancy. They see this group as both a missed opportunity and as a cohort that could be swayed.
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