The COVID-19 Vaccine Halo Effect: Survey Highlights

Debates around COVID-19 vaccine requirements and mandates appear to have affected public opinion on longstanding immunization requirements - ie, for the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine for children entering public schools.

The most recent Kaiser Family Foundation COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor survey reports a more than 10% drop in adults who say the vaccine should be required for healthy children to attend public schools, from 82% in 2019 to 71% in December last year.

In 2019 the survey recorded 16% of adults saying that it should be parents' decision not to vaccinate school-aged children. That proportion is up to 28% in the most recent survey.

The Decmber survey also checked on the status of bivalent booster vaccination uptake and found more than one-quarter of US adults are ineligible for the updated shot because they are unvaccinated or undervaccinated. The booster status of Americans aged ≥65 years is updated and so are parents' intentions for children aged <17 years.