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A2 UP FRONT
Thursday 10 december 2020
clear a vaccine would pan impossible, since the shots stein of the Immunization
out. don't contain any virus. Action Coalition, a retired
In the survey of 1,117 Ameri- Protecting their family, their Army colonel who directed
can adults conducted Dec. community and their own the Defense Department's
3-7, about 3 in 10 said they health are chief drivers for immunization program. He
are very or extremely confi- people who want the vac- said many eventually will
dent that the first available cine. decide it's "far, far better to
vaccines will have been Roughly three-quarters take this vaccine than run
properly tested for safety said life won't go back to the risk of coronavirus infec-
and effectiveness. About normal until enough of the tion."
an equal number said they country is vaccinated. Adding to the challenge
are not confident. The rest "Even if it helps a little bit, are political divisions that
fell somewhere in the mid- I'd take it," said Ralph Mar- have hamstrung public
dle. tinez, 67, who manages a health efforts to curtail the
About 7 in 10 of those who grocery store in Dallas. "I outbreak. The poll found 6
said they won't get vac- honestly think they wouldn't in 10 Democrats said they
cinated are concerned put something out there will get vaccinated com-
Vail Health Hospital pharmacy technician Rob Brown practices about side effects. Pfizer that would hurt us." pared with 4 in 10 Repub-
measuring the exact dosage for a mock Covid-19 vaccine in
the sterile compounding room in the hospital's pharmacy, Tues- and Moderna say testing Over the summer, about licans; about a third of Re-
day, Dec. 8, 2020 in Vail, Colo. has uncovered no serious a third of Martinez's em- publicans said they won't.
Associated Press ones so far. As with many ployees were out with CO- Only about 1 in 5 Ameri-
vaccines, recipients may VID-19. He wears a mask cans are very or extremely
Continued from Front Early data suggests the two experience fever, fatigue daily but worries about the confident that vaccines
Amid a frightening surge U.S. frontrunners -- one vac- or sore arms from the injec- constant public contact will be safely and quickly
in COVID-19 that promises cine made by Pfizer and tion, signs the immune sys- and is concerned that his distributed, or fairly distrib-
a bleak winter across the BioNTech and another by tem is revving up. 87-year-old mother is simi- uted, though majorities are
country, the challenge for Moderna and the National But other risks might not larly exposed running her at least somewhat confi-
health authorities is to fig- Institutes of Health -- of- crop up until vaccines are business. dent.
ure out what it will take to fer strong protection. The more widely used. British COVID-19 has killed or hos- Nancy Nolan, 64, teaches
make people trust the shots Food and Drug Adminis- health authorities are ex- pitalized Black, Hispanic English as a second lan-
that Dr. Anthony Fauci, the tration is poring over study amining two possible al- and Native Americans at guage at a New Jersey
top U.S. infectious-disease results to be sure the shots lergic reactions on the first far higher rates than white community college and
expert, calls the light at the are safe before deciding in day the country began Americans. Yet 53% of has seen the difficulty her
end of the tunnel. the coming days whether mass vaccinations with the white Americans said they students face in getting
"If Dr. Fauci says it's good, I to allow mass vaccinations, Pfizer shot. will get vaccinated, com- coronavirus testing and
will do it," said Mary Lang, as Britain began doing with Among Americans who pared with 24% of Black care.
71, of Fremont, California. Pfizer's shots on Tuesday. won't get vaccinated, the Americans and 34% of His- "I don't think it'll be fairly dis-
She added: "Hopefully if Despite the hopeful news, poll found 43% are con- panics like Martinez. tributed," she said. "I hope
enough of us get the vac- feelings haven't changed cerned the vaccine itself Because of insufficient sam- I'm wrong."
cine, we can make this vi- much from an AP-NORC could infect them — some- ple size, the survey could She raised concerns, too,
rus go away." poll in May, before it was thing that's scientifically not analyze results among over the speed with which
Native Americans or other the vaccine was devel-
racial and ethnic groups oped: "If I rush, I could have
that make up a smaller pro- a car accident, I could
portion of the U.S. popula- make a mistake."
tion. Experts have stressed that
Horace Carpenter of Dav- no corners were cut during
enport, Florida, knows that development, attributing
as a Black man at age 86, the speedy work to billions
he is vulnerable. "I'd like to in government funding and
see it come out first," he over a decade of behind-
said of the vaccine. But he the-scenes research.
said he, too, plans to follow Health workers and nursing
Fauci's advice. home residents are set to
Given the nation's long his- be first in line for the scarce
tory of racial health care initial doses. Plans call for
disparities and research other essential workers
abuses against Black peo- and people over 65 or at
ple, Carpenter isn't sur- increased risk because of
prised that minority com- other health problems to
munities are more hesitant follow, before enough vac-
about the new vaccines. cine arrives for everyone,
"There is such racial in- probably in the spring.
equality in our society," he The poll found majorities
said. "There's bound to be of Americans agree with
some hiccups." that priority list. And 59%
Health experts say it is not think vaccinating teachers
surprising that people have should be a high priority,
doubts because it will take too. Most also agree with
time for the vaccines' study higher priority for hard-hit
results to become widely communities of color and
known. people in crowded living
"Sometimes you have to conditions such as home-
ask people more than less shelters and college
once," said John Graben- dorms.q