62% Of U.S. Adults Fear Political Pressure Will Rush Covid Vaccine

The concern over political influence is held by 85% of Democrats, 35% of Republicans and 61% of independent voters, according to poll results released Thursday by Kaiser Health News.

The poll, conducted August 28 to September 3, found that more than two-thirds of those questioned — 81% — don’t think a safe and effective vaccine will be approved before Americans head to the polls in 53 days.

Even if it was more than half — 54% — would say ‘no thank you,’ the poll found; with 60% of Republicans saying ‘no’ compared with 46% of Democrats and 56% of Independent voters.

Only 42% of those questioned would be willing to get a vaccine approved by the FDA before the election, even if it was free, showing the deep skepticism that many in the U.S. have about the influence of politics in bringing a Covid-19 vaccine to market.

Concerns about safety and speed have been top of mind this week as pharma giant AstraZeneca announced an abrupt pause to its late-stage vaccine trials after a participant suffered a serious reaction; that follows repeated proclamations by President Trump that a vaccine could be available by the end of the year “or sooner,” and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advising states to be ready to distribute a vaccine by Nov. 1.

American acceptance of a vaccine will be crucial to stopping the spread of the virus which was responsible for 190,885 deaths in the U.S. as of Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins; another step recommended by health professionals to slow the spread — wearing masks — became a big political issue in the United States, leading to at times deadly altercations in public spaces and a reluctance of many Republican governors to issue mask mandates.