The United States has passed yet another grim milestone in its battle to contain Covid-19 with the number of cases now above the five million mark. While some countries such as New Zealand have successfully suppressed the pandemic, a vaccine now appears to be the only hope for much of humanity in breaking chains of infection and restoring some semblance of normality. When he was testifying before Congress, Dr. Fauci, America's top expert on infectious diseases, said he was optimistic a vaccine would be ready by early 2021.
Even if that happens, a large swathe of the American population would be unwilling to take it, according to a new Gallup poll. Conducted between July 20 and August 02, it found that more than a third of U.S. adults would be unwilling to take an FDA approved Covid-19 vaccine at no cost. It also recorded a considerable partisan divide in attitudes with 81 percent of Democrats indicating they would be willing to get vaccinated while 53 percent of Republicans said they would be unwilling. Broken down by age, 76 percent of Americans aged between 18 and 29 said they would take a vaccine, along with 70 percent of senior citizens, while reluctance levels are highest among middle aged people.
