Story at a glance
- The Gallup poll released Tuesday found 58 percent of participants said they would get a COVID-19 vaccine when one becomes available.
- Forty-two percent said they would not get the shot.
- A similar poll in September found there was a 50-50 split among Americans when asked if they would get vaccinated.
A new poll suggests Americans are more willing to receive a coronavirus vaccine than they were just two months ago.
The Gallup poll released Tuesday found 58 percent of participants said they would get a COVID-19 vaccine when one becomes available, compared to 42 percent who said they would not get the shot.
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The survey shows a slight rebound in vaccine confidence after a similar poll in September found there was a 50-50 split among Americans when asked if they would become vaccinated.
The poll was conducted Oct. 19-Nov. 1, before drug makers Pfizer and Moderna announced their respective experimental vaccines appeared to be more than 90 percent effective and could receive emergency use authorization this month.
Along party lines, 69 percent of Democrats said they would get a vaccine, compared with 53 percent in September. Pollsters said that while Democrats have been consistently more likely than Republicans and independents to say they would get a vaccine, the gap between Democrats and Republicans narrowed to just 4 percentage points in September.
The poll notes willingness to take a vaccine may have dropped in September over worries it would be rushed out before the presidential election, potentially compromising the safety of an approved vaccine.
The number of Republicans who said they would be vaccinated remained the same at 49 percent.
Both Pfizer and Moderna plan to have tens of millions of doses for high-risk groups before the end of the year. Public health experts estimate the general public will likely not be able to get vaccinated until some time in the spring of 2021.
The U.S. is currently experiencing the worst outbreak over the course of the pandemic so far. More than 150,000 new cases and 1,100 new deaths are being reported each day, according to The Covid Tracking Project.
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