A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory committee on Thursday endorsed Pfizer’s COVID-19 shot, paving the way for a vaccine to be used in the United States, yet only about half the Americans polled in a recent survey say they are willing to line up to get the vaccination.
An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll showed that while half of those surveyed trust the emerging vaccine and want to take it, a quarter of those polled are still undecided about getting the shot.
The rest of those surveyed say they will not get the vaccination.
The survey included 1,117 American adults and was conducted from Dec. 3- Dec. 7.
A vaccine developed by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer is being vetted Thursday in one of the last steps for approval for use in the United States. Records from the company suggest that the vaccine is more than 90% effective against the COVID-19 virus. The novel coronavirus has killed nearly 290,000 in the United States since the pandemic began early this year.
At least 70% of the population of the United States would have to be vaccinated to reach herd immunity for the COVID-19 virus, the AP reported. That is the point where enough people are vaccinated or have contracted the virus so that the chain of transmission is interrupted.
So what do you do if you want to get a shot once a vaccination is approved?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the agency has been working with state health departments and its partners on a plan to administer the vaccinations once a vaccine is approved.
While no COVID-19 vaccine is yet available, plans on how the drug will be administered — which have been worked on for months — are being finalized.
The vaccine will be administered in phases. States will determine how many phases and who will be vaccinated in which phase. It is not yet clear if people will be contacted individually and told when they are in the category that is ready to get a vaccination.
The overwhelming majority of states have health care workers in the first phase, followed by those in assisted care or nursing home facilities.
After the first groups of the most vulnerable are vaccinated, the general public will be able to get vaccinations.
According to some timelines, that will likely be in March or April.
Once a vaccine is available to the public at large, you will be able to find a vaccination site by checking with your physician, pharmacy or health department.
Another method to check on vaccination locations in your area is on a CDC interactive website called VaccineFinder. The website takes your address and then shows you where in your area vaccinations are being given. The site tracks many vaccines, such as for flu and shingles.
According to the site, “VaccineFinder will be updated once COVID-19 vaccination is widely available to the public to help direct people to find a vaccine provider near them.”
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