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US COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates up considerably in the last year

Linda Glenn
Posted at 1:46 PM, Jan 10, 2023
and last updated 2023-01-10 15:46:40-05

Americans were less reluctant about the COVID-19 vaccine in 2022 compared to 2021, according to data released by Nature Magazine this week.

The data found that over 80% of Americans accepted that the COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective in 2022, compared to about 20% who don’t. The United States’ vaccine acceptance rate was about 20% higher compared to 2021, the data found.

Globally, the U.S. is now slightly more acceptant of the COVID-19 vaccine than the global average of 79%.

Among those who are vaccinated, 13% of Americans surveyed said they were hesitant about booster shots.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, 69.1% of the U.S. population is considered fully vaccinated. While most Americans are vaccinated, only a fraction have gotten an updated booster shot. Just 15.4% of the eligible population have gotten a COVID-19 booster since they became available in September.

Several nations, including China, Brazil and the United Kingdom, were more vaccine-hesitant in 2022 than in 2021. Globally, vaccine hesitancy was down about 5% in 2022 compared to 2021.

Out of 23 nations surveyed, India was the most vaccine-acceptant nation at 98.3% and South Africa was the only one where a majority said they were vaccine-hesitant.