A new survey showed that people who were waiting to get vaccinated are making appointments or plan to receive their shot within the next three months
The U.S. is on track to vaccinate at least 70% of the adult population against the coronavirus by summer, a new poll suggests.
In the latest survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 62% of respondents said they had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, an increase from 56% in April.
Additionally, about one-third of people who said they were going to "wait and see" to get a vaccine reported that they had already scheduled an appointment to get vaccinated or planned to do so within the next few months.
With 62% of adults having received at least one dose, 4% saying they want the shot as soon as possible and another 4% reporting they had scheduled an appointment or intended to do so within the next months, the U.S. is inching closer toward President Joe Biden's goal of 70% adult vaccination coverage by July 4.
Essentially unchanged from previous polls is the percentage of respondents saying they will get vaccinated "only if required," 7%, and people who say they will "definitely not" get a vaccine, 13%.
However, one way the government could sway more people to receive their COVID-19 vaccines is for the Food and Drug Administration to issue full authorization of the vaccines.
Currently, the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines have only been approved by the FDA for emergency use, but if the FDA were to grant full approval, 32% of unvaccinated adults said they would be much more likely to receive the shots.
That percentage increases for adults who are in the "wait and see" category, with 44% saying they would be more likely to get vaccinated if the FDA granted full approval to the vaccines.
Employer incentives would also motivate people to receive vaccinations, with 21% of employed unvaccinated adults reporting they would be more inclined to receive the shot if their employer gave them paid time off to get vaccinated and recover from the side effects.
The federal government, states and companies are offering incentives to encourage people to receive their vaccines. The Biden administration has partnered with rideshare companies to offer free transportation to vaccine appointments, some states are offering raffles and money and companies, such as CVS are offering chances to win cruises and vacations.
Fifteen percent of unvaccinated Americans said they would be more likely to get vaccinated if their state government offered them $100, 13% said if they were offered free transportation, 11% said free tickets to a sporting event or concert and 10% said a $20 coupon free food would motivate them.