There is hesitation by some Americans to get the COVID-19 vaccine once it is made available, and Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams is seeking to boost confidence.
A Gallup poll found that 42% of Americans are not willing to be vaccinated while 58% said they are willing. This is, however, a boost in October in Americans’ willingness to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
In response, Adams said during Monday’s “Good Morning America” interview that he is talking with people across the country to ensure that Americans know “this vaccine was developed safely.”
“We have not cut any safety corners,” the surgeon general added. “And the most reassuring thing I can say to you, America, is that when they tell me that I can get the vaccine, I will get it because I know that’s the best way to protect myself and to protect my family and my community.”
Additionally, Adams was pressed on questions regarding the assurance that the COVID-19 vaccine is not going to have prolonged side effects.
He responded by citing National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield, and Dr. Deborah Birx.
“Here’s what they tell me, normal studies only have about 5,000 people in them before a vaccine is approved. These studies have [30,000-60,000],” Adams said.
“These vaccines, at the point of being administered to the American people, will have more data than any other vaccine developed in history.”
Watch Adams’ interview below:
.@ABC NEWS EXCLUSIVE interview with @Surgeon_General Dr. Jerome Adams as he discusses the latest COVID-19 vaccine information.@CeciliaVega https://t.co/rkvg3CoHuE pic.twitter.com/N5SOWJwBFm
— Good Morning America (@GMA) November 23, 2020
Operation Warp Speed Chief Science Adviser Dr. Moncef Slaoui said during an ABC News interview on Sunday, “I’m very very concerned about the hesitancy as it exists and I think it’s very unfortunate because this has been exacerbated by the political context under which we have worked very hard with the companies and the thousands of people that have been involved to make these vaccines available.”
Slaoui also noted on Sunday that he believes the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will approve the distribution of Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine by mid-December. The company found its vaccine to be 95% effective in preventing infection from the virus.
Another company, Moderna Inc., is also expected to seek approval from the FDA in later December for its COVID-19 vaccine.
According to Slaoui, about 70% of the 330 million U.S. population will have to take the vaccine to achieve “herd” immunity.