Something curious is happening as the United States sallies on down this uncharted road known as COVID-19. It has been a slow build and remains largely under the radar. Still, statistics indicate a subsection of those Americans opposed to vaccinations is slowly but surely consenting to the jab.
There may be several underlying reasons for this, but it is an observable trend that must be noted. Could it be the rapid spread of the highly contagious variant Delta, which shows a staggering majority of those hospitalized were not vaccinated? Might it be the low breakthrough rate of those already inoculated? Or could it be that those who were not initially down with injecting a non-FDA-approved fluid into their bodies have been quietly saying, “You first”?
Graphics depicting the number of vaccinations per month show a slow start in February and March as Americans took a cautious approach to the shot, but a glance at August reveals minds are a-changin’. It cannot be ignored that increasing numbers are feeling a bit more confident about getting the shot as the summer of 2021 winds down. Perhaps anti-vaxx Americans feel the jab is now the lesser of two evils?
Ramming Speed
As of this writing, 165,637,566 people in the United States have been fully vaccinated. That comes out to 50% of the population, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) database. Almost 200 million, or 59% of the population, have taken at least one dose.
Of course, there have been adverse reactions to each of the vaccination options. As well, breakthrough cases of vaccinated people contracting COVID have been reported. Everyone seems to know someone who fits into one of these two categories. Still, exceptions are not the rule. Examining the macro picture of undesirable reactions, one must recognize the percentages of both these legitimate concerns are proving to be statistically negligible. For sure, these fractions do not predict how the vaccine will sit in the body in the future. It is merely a snapshot of where we are today.
In considering the current situation, August numbers illustrate more people agreeing to the jab than at any other time since vaccines have been obtainable. As of Aug. 5, the CDC reports 86% of the available doses have been consumed. Anecdotal evidence shows current shortages mean some have difficulty finding specific shots. An exasperated Liberty Nation reader exemplified this when she wrote, “Nuts! I called 20 pharmacies here locally, no go on J&J, finally found one about 30 min away. Appt. at 2:30 — craziness!”
In terms of demographics, women slightly outpace men 55.7% to 51.5%. Seventy-one percent of those 65 to 74 are fully inoculated, and the numbers decline from there with 40.2% of 18-to-24-year-olds who have gotten a full anti-COVID dose. All of this is as expected.
Where the demographics become curious is in the ethnic group/race category. Excluding the multiple/other class (which does not tell that much), Native Hawaiian/Pacific islanders are the most heavily vaccinated population. American Indian/Alaska Natives come in second place, Asians third, Caucasians fourth, Hispanic/Latino fifth, and Blacks sixth and last.
There will always be those who will not submit to a COVID vaccination. Some, often citing personal liberty, believe the ability to say no is their inalienable right. It is also the right of an individual to change his or her mind. Oxford-educated British psychologist and writer Stuart Sutherland may have put it best when he intoned, “The willingness to change one’s mind in the light of new evidence is a sign of rationality not weakness.”
~
Read more from Leesa K. Donner.
