Are You Confident In A COVID-19 Vaccine? Take Patch's Survey

Newport RI

02 December, 2020

10:31 AM

Description

For the better part of 10 months, the entire world has been awaiting the emergence of vaccines that would provide its first major pushback against the coronavirus. Now, with that time upon us, the politicization of the virus — as well as a general mistrust of vaccines — means not everyone is clamoring for it. The first COVID-19 vaccines are expected to arrive in Rhode Island before the end of the year. Pfizer's vaccine was approved overnight in the United Kingdom and is up for emergency use authorization in the United States next week, and Cambridge-based Moderna's vaccine is hoping for the same the following week. Gov. Gina Raimondo said vaccine distribution will happen in phases, starting with frontline health care workers and nursing home residents. She said she hopes it will be available to the general public by the spring, and that she will get the shot, herself, as soon as she is eligible. To ensure a safe and efficient vaccination effort in Rhode Island, Raimondo formed a special COVID-19 vaccine task force aimed at determining safety and developing a distribution plan. Rhode Island was also one of just a handful of states selected for Pfizer's pilot program, though it will not receive the vaccine before other states as a result. So Patch wants to know: How do you feel about the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines? Do you plan on taking it as soon as possible? Has the politicization of the vaccine and virus impacted your feelings on it? The survey will close later this week, and then we'll post results. The survey is not meant to be a scientific poll, with random sampling and margins of error, but is meant only to gauge the sentiments of our readers in an informal way.