More than half of Americans say they want to delay getting a Covid vaccine until they know more information or even refuse it altogether, according to a new survey.
Only 41 per cent of those surveyed said they are eager to receive the shots as soon as possible, according to the tracking project by the non-profit Kaiser Family Foundation.
It comes a scientists warn that new variants of the virus mean that nations will need to vaccinate 85% of their population to achieve herd immunity, and Joe Biden scrambles to ramp up vaccinations.
The president has set the target of giving 100million Americans their first dose of a vaccine by April.
In the Kaiser study carried out in January, 31 per cent said they want to wait and see further results from the vaccines, seven per cent said they would only get inoculated if they were made to, while 13 per cent said they will definitely not receive the shots.
More than half of Americans say they want to delay getting a Covid vaccine until they know more information or even refuse it altogether
The study by the non-profit Kaiser Family Foundation found that Black and Hispanic people are more reluctant to receive a vaccine
People from rural communities are also less eager to receive the shots, with urban and suburban adults happier to get inoculated
Nurse Lacinda Snowberger gives Priscilla Lockhart a shot of the Pfizer vaccine at a walk-in vaccination hub in Virginia
The findings show a small increase in vaccine confidence from December when 63 per cent of people said they would delay or refuse the approved doses.
The number of people willing to get inoculated immediately has also risen from 34 per cent to 41 per cent.
The study of 1,563 adults in the US also showed that Republicans, people from Black and Hispanic backgrounds, lower income households and adults in rural areas are the most reluctant groups to get vaccinated.
Vaccine enthusiasm is divided on political lines, with Democrats much more eager to get the shots than Republicans
Nearly two thirds of Democrats, 64 per cent, say they have already been vaccinated or want the shots as soon as possible.
But this figure drops to 32 per cent among Republicans, with 33 per cent saying they want to wait and see, and a quarter saying they will definitely refuse the vaccine.
These figures remain mostly unchanged from December, showing President Joe Biden's need to transcend partisanship and appeal to Republicans to help with his national vaccination campaign.
Vaccine enthusiasm is also divided on racial lines, with 43 per cent of Black people and 37 per cent of Hispanic adults saying they want to hold off the shots until they know more about them.
Vaccine enthusiasm is also divided on racial lines, with 43 per cent of Black people and 37 per cent of Hispanic adults saying they want to hold off the shots until they know more about them
Among White adults, only 26 per cent say they want to wait and see, with 53 per cent saying they have already received a dose or want one immediately, compared to 35 per cent of Black adults and 42 per cent in the Hispanic community.
Another disparity is found on economic lines, with people on a household income of $90,000 or more almost twice as likely as those with incomes under $40,000 to say that they or someone they know has been vaccinated.
Knowing someone who has already received a shot is one of the biggest indicators in vaccine enthusiasm, the study shows.
More than half of those who want the vaccine 'as soon as possible,' 52 per cent, say they know someone who has been vaccinated.
The study found that many people fear that Covid-19 vaccines could cause long term issues or serious side effects
Among those who say they'll get a shot 'only if required,' only 29 per cent of people say they know someone who has received a vaccine.
The study has also looked into the concerns among people reluctant to receive the jabs, with 68 per cent of people saying they are worried about the long term effects of the vaccines.
Other fears that the vaccine could cause Covid-19 and it might cause serious side effects are more pronounced in the groups less keen to receive the shots.
More than half of Black Adults (54 per cent) and 50 per cent of Hispanic people say they are worried the vaccines will give them coronavirus, compared to 20 per cent of White adults.
Fears over the vaccinations are compounded by myths which are more prominent among people reluctant to receive the jabs
People on with lower incomes without a college degree are also much more likely to have these concerns than educated higher-income people.
A YouGov poll last month found that vaccine skepticism is higher in the US than in many other countries.
Only 47 per cent of people in the US said the would take a vaccine compared to 73 per cent in the UK, 69 per cent in India, 68 per cent in Mexico, 70 per cent in Denmark and 64 per cent in Australia.
As of Sunday, 31 million vaccine doses have been administered in the US, out of nearly 50 million delivered to states
Dr Anthony Fauci has indicated that between 75 and 85 per cent of Americans need to be vaccinated to help bring the pandemic under control.
President Biden plans to inoculate 150million people in his administration's first 100 days.
But he faces a struggle with so many Americans reluctant to receive the shots, with many duped by conspiracy theories online.
This weekend, a crowd of maskless protesters temporarily shut down one of the world's largest vaccination centers in Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles when they picketed the site.
About 50 protesters, including members of anti-vaccine and far-right groups, gathered outside the COVID-19 vaccination site at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles, disrupting the long line of drivers waiting to get their dose
The anti-vax demonstrators spouted bogus claims that the virus was not real, holding up placards reading: 'COVID=SCAM', 'COERCION IS ILLEGAL', and 'Mark of the beast ahead', as motorists lined up at the vaccine site.
The protests are continuing despite January being the deadliest month of the coronavirus pandemic so far.
The month saw more than 95,000 fatalities, a jump of 20,000 from December, and more people were hospitalized for the deadly virus than any other month so far.
However, new cases and deaths have been declining after peaking in the middle of the month.
On Sunday the nation recorded 118,211 new Covid-19 cases with a seven-day average of 144,861 cases, according to the Covid Tracking Project.
The US also saw 2,055 new Covid-19 related deaths, with a seven day average of 3,135 fatalities. Overall, in January 95,211 deaths were recorded.
Hospitalizations and cases soared in early to mid January and there are currently 95,013 people hospitalized with the virus, a major jump since October, likely exacerbated by holiday travel.
January also saw more people hospitalized with Covid than any other month on average, however, the number has come down from its mid-month peak.
In more positive news, the number of new cases is now averaging 40,000 less than it was at the beginning of the month and more than 100,000 fewer than the January 12 peak.
Since the start of the pandemic the nation has recorded more than 26million cases and more than 441,000 deaths.
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