Most in poll say they’re willing to wait for COVID-19 vaccine to be fully tested

More than 6 in 10 voters say a coronavirus vaccine should be fully tested, even if doing so delays its release and potentially allows the virus to spread further, according to a new poll.

The Politico/Morning Consult poll released Wednesday found that 64 percent favor fully testing any potential vaccine, while 22 percent said it should be made available as early as possible. 

Another 14 percent said they didn’t know or had no opinion.

Republicans in the poll were more likely than Democrats to favor a faster vaccine rollout — 26 percent compared to 21 percent.

The findings come as President Trump has repeatedly promised that an effective vaccine will be ready by the end of the year, despite vaccines typically taking years to develop.

“In the race for a highly sought-after COVID-19 vaccine, voters are not willing to sacrifice safety for expediency,” said Kyle Dropp, co-founder and chief research officer at Morning Consult.

“Roughly two-thirds say the United States should prioritize fully testing any potential coronavirus vaccine, even if that means a delayed offering to the public and a continued spread of the virus,” Dropp added.

The poll released Wednesday found broad support for getting a U.S.-made COVID-19 vaccination. Eighty-two percent said they would get such a vaccine, though 24 percent of Republicans and 9 percent of Democrats said they would refuse to get one.

Voters preferred former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, to preside over the vaccine development process compared to Trump, 44 percent to 33 percent.

Among Democrats, 81 percent said they trusted Biden on the issue compared to 72 percent of Republicans who said the same about Trump.

The survey of 1,997 registered voters was conducted July 24-26 and has an overall margin of error of 2 percentage points.