The same denial leading ridiculous numbers of people to ignore the reality that social distancing and mask-wearing protects everyone during a pandemic seems to be prevailing when it comes to a potential vaccine for the novel coronavirus. An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll finds the only about half of Americans would get a COVID-19 vaccine if it became available. About 20% said they'd refuse it outright and 31% weren't sure.
Among those who say they would refuse it, the large majority say it's because of safety concerns. That's not necessarily the usual anti-vaxxer position, as one respondent said. Melanie Dries of Colorado Springs, Colorado is worried that it will be released too soon, "to get a COVID-19 vaccine within a year or two […] causes me to fear that it won't be widely tested as to side effects." But this isn't just a safety issue dividing Americans—it's a partisan issue. "While 62% of Democrats would get the vaccine, only 43% of Republicans say the same," AP reports. They're not the only ones finding that this is a big Republican problem.
Two recent Gallup/Knight Foundation surveys, conducted in March and April, show a widening gap between Democrats and Republicans on the lethality of the coronavirus and on the death rate from it. Half of Republicans believe that the death toll is exaggerated. As the rest of the country became aware of how much more lethal the coronavirus is compared to seasonal flu from March to April, Republicans actually became less likely to believe it.
By April, just 40% of Republicans recognized that the coronavirus is more deadly than regular seasonal flu, down a few points from March. In contrast, by April, 67% of the rest of us recognized that this is a lethal disease, up from 60% in March. As Gallup put it, "this trend toward greater knowledge did not hold among Republicans." What's more, "Republicans are 10 times as likely as Democrats to say the death count is overstated (50% vs. 5%, respectively). Thirty percent of independents say the same. Most Democrats, 72%, believe the death count is understated."
It's already an uphill battle to get people to get a regular flu shot. Last fall, a National Foundation for Infectious Disease survey found that while 60% of people knew the vaccine is "the best preventive measure against flu-related deaths and hospitalizations," just 52% said they planned to get one. The actual percentage of those who got one was likely lower, though that data isn't available yet. In the 2018-2019 flu season, only 45% of adults got it.
Now flu shots—and specifically a potential coronavirus vaccine—have become politicized, because Republicans. That's why. Republicans. Their undying belief in Donald Trump will protect them from coronavirus, and if it doesn't, well, freedom! They're sure as hell not going to think about whether their actions are going to potentially harm someone else.