Coronavirus Disinformation is Winning Hearts and Minds

Reuters is reporting that a new poll indicates that about a quarter of Americans have no interest in taking a Covid-19 vaccine if one is developed. Some people are concerned that safety could be compromised in view of the speed of development. Reuters writes:

"(Reuters) - A quarter of Americans have little or no interest in taking a coronavirus vaccine, a Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Thursday found, with some voicing concern that the record pace at which vaccine candidates are being developed could compromise safety. 

Some 36% of respondents said they would be less willing to take a vaccine if U.S. President Donald Trump said it was safe, compared with only 14% who would be more interested. 

Less than two-thirds of respondents said they were “very” or “somewhat” interested in a vaccine, a figure some health experts expected would be higher given the heightened awareness of COVID-19 and the more than 92,000 coronavirus-related deaths in the United States alone. 

Fourteen percent of respondents said they were not at all interested in taking a vaccine, and 10% said they were not very interested. Another 11% were unsure. 

Studies are underway, but experts estimate that at least 70% of Americans would need to be immune through a vaccine or prior infection to achieve what is known as “herd immunity,” when enough people are resistant to an infectious disease to prevent its spread."

It is shocking that about 36% of people in the survey would be less inclined to do what the president says, while 14% would be inclined to believe him. That reflects the president's obvious track record of lies, deceit and gross incompetence in dealing with the pandemic. One can see the damage that lies and disinformation from all sources is inflicting on Americans and American society.

On the encouraging side, about 84% of respondents in the survey still believe that vaccines are safe for adults and children. That suggests safety assurances that people get might reconsider their unwillingness to take a vaccine. About 29% of those who said they were “not very” interested in taking the vaccine indicated that they would be more open to taking a vaccine if the FDA approved it. Presumably, the FDA will approve the vaccine before it is made available to the public.