The reasons people may resist getting the COVID-19 vaccine

+ does it matter if the second vaccine dose is delayed? ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Many Americans today want the COVID-19 vaccine but can’t get it. It may not be long before the U.S. confronts another problem: not enough people getting the vaccine to achieve herd immunity.

Timothy Callaghan of Texas A&M University and Matt Motta of Oklahoma State University recently published results of a study that provides insights into what the public demand for the vaccine will likely be in the months ahead and, importantly, the reasons for people’s reluctance.

Also today:

Lynne Anderson

Senior Health + Medicine Editor

Maria Saravia, a worker at the University of Southern California’s Keck Hospital, adjusts her mother’s mask before her COVID-19 vaccination. Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Why the next major hurdle to ending the pandemic will be about persuading people to get vaccinated

Timothy Callaghan, Texas A&M University; Matt Motta, Oklahoma State University

Getting a vaccine is proving difficult for many older people now, but the mad rush for the vaccine won't last long. Many people don't want to get one at all, and that will impede herd immunity.

Health

Why using fear to promote COVID-19 vaccination and mask wearing could backfire

Amy Lauren Fairchild, The Ohio State University; Ronald Bayer, Columbia University

History holds some lessons about when to scare and when to educate. Two public health experts offer a case for caution right now.
Do COVID-19 travel bans work? Here’s what happened when US restricted travel from China and Italy

Jeff Prince, Indiana University; Daniel Simon, Indiana University

As the Biden administration issues new travel bans, data from older ones suggest that decisive, broad restrictions can work.

Environment + Energy

Thawing permafrost is full of ice-forming particles that could get into atmosphere

Jessie Creamean, Colorado State University; Thomas Hill, Colorado State University

New research shows that permafrost contains huge amounts of particles that make it easier for cloud moisture to freeze. Thawing permafrost is releasing these ice-nucleating particles.
To make the US auto fleet greener, increasing fuel efficiency matters more than selling electric vehicles

John DeCicco, University of Michigan

Electric cars get a lot of hype, but EV sales today are actually increasing transportation's carbon footprint. Here's how federal clean-car standards produce this counterintuitive result.

Science + Technology

Why it takes 2 shots to make mRNA vaccines do their antibody-creating best – and what the data shows on delaying the booster dose

William Petri, University of Virginia

With slow vaccine distribution and manufacturing, some people won't get the second dose on time. But does it matter?
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Patricia L. Foster, Indiana University

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Trending on site

Remote learning isn’t new: Radio instruction in the 1937 polio epidemic

Katherine A. Foss, Middle Tennessee State University

This isn't the first time America's schoolchildren have studied remotely – and Chicago's 1937 'radio school' experiment shows how technology can fill the gap during a crisis.
How self-proclaimed ‘prophets’ from a growing Christian movement provided religious motivation for the Jan. 6 events at the US Capitol

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A scholar of religion explains a growing Christian movement that believes Trump was part of God's plan to bring heaven to Earth.
Vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 will have side effects – that’s a good thing

Matthew Woodruff, Emory University

The side effects of new SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are a result of immune system activation. While uncomfortable, they are both normal and expected. They are a sign that the vaccine is working.

The reasons people may resist getting the COVID-19 vaccine

Why the next major hurdle to ending the pandemic will be about persuading people to get vaccinated

Health

Why using fear to promote COVID-19 vaccination and mask wearing could backfire

Do COVID-19 travel bans work? Here’s what happened when US restricted travel from China and Italy

Environment + Energy

Thawing permafrost is full of ice-forming particles that could get into atmosphere

To make the US auto fleet greener, increasing fuel efficiency matters more than selling electric vehicles

Science + Technology

Why it takes 2 shots to make mRNA vaccines do their antibody-creating best – and what the data shows on delaying the booster dose

A universal influenza vaccine may be one step closer, bringing long-lasting protection against flu

Trending on site

Remote learning isn’t new: Radio instruction in the 1937 polio epidemic

How self-proclaimed ‘prophets’ from a growing Christian movement provided religious motivation for the Jan. 6 events at the US Capitol

Vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 will have side effects – that’s a good thing

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