If the first COVID-19 vaccine is approved in the US, most Americans say that vaccinating US citizens should be a priority before the vaccine is shared internationally and that within the US, those at high-risk for the infection and its complications should be the first to receive it.
Results of a Harris Poll conducted August 14-16, 2020, for online news outlet Axios, reveal more on how Americans would prioritize access to the immunization. Click through a summary, below.
A new Harris Poll finds Americans prefer not to share a US-approved vaccine with the rest of the world at the outset – but they do believe US citizens at high risk should be given priority.
Supply of a new vaccine will be initially limited, so experts say rationing worldwide and then within each country, will be necessary.
What would Americans do? 69% would support a priority system for vaccine distribution in the US; 31% would prefer a “first come, first served” approach.
Which population groups should receive priority for a COVID-19 vaccine? Americans say healthcare workers and seniors come first.
Additional population groups ranked for priority for a COVID-19 vaccine: Teachers and state and metro areas with high infection rates; 28% and 16%, respectively, feel that children and young adults should be priority recipients.
How do Americans feel about sharing a US-approved vaccine with the world? Two-thirds support filling orders in the US first; one-third of respondents feel it should be made immediately available internationally.
Made in the USA. The proportion of respondents who are at least somewhat likely to get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it is available (69%) drops to 51% if the vaccine is developed by another country.
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For more on US sentiment on vaccines developed outside the country, see: Do Americans Trust Russia’s “Sputnik V” COVID-19 Vaccine?
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