And a few ideas for helping them get their shots.
 | By Alexandra Sifferlin Senior Staff Editor, Opinion |
Understanding vaccine holdouts in the United States has become a top priority, especially as the Delta variant continues to spread. This week, several experts and writers took a close look at what is keeping some Americans unvaccinated. And it's becoming increasingly clear that it's not just the specific nature of the vaccines or Covid-19 that's preventing us from getting more shots in arms, but a set of longstanding issues that plague American society, pandemic or not. |
In an essay this week, the writers Rainesford Stauffer and Abdullah Shihipar argue that young adults who haven't been vaccinated yet — which has perplexed some health experts — are mostly not forgoing vaccines because they feel "invincible" to Covid. Rather, there are substantial barriers facing young Americans today, including the fact that they're more likely to be working low-wage jobs without access to paid sick leave, which can make vaccine appointment logistics and managing side effects harder. |
"The barriers young people face to getting vaccinated are not inherent to their age," they write. "It is just that they are equipped with fewer resources to tackle them." |
Bryce Covert also weighed in on this discussion. She argues that rather than shifting blame to the unvaccinated for the current Covid situation, experts need to understand that "those who are unvaccinated are also likely to work in essential jobs like agriculture and manufacturing that don't allow them to step away from work." |
"They work long hours and may prioritize time with their families or communities when they finally get a break. People who have multiple jobs may find it impossible to schedule a shot in between all of their shifts," Covert writes. |
It's time for vaccination campaigns to get more creative, she argues. Some public health and community organizations are hosting block parties to attract people and offer vaccinations; others are bringing vaccines to people's workplaces, including non-office settings like construction sites. Bringing vaccines to places like food pantries and shopping centers might help, too. |
Around 70 percent of American adults have now received at least one shot — but as Stauffer, Shihipar and Covert argue, we shouldn't have needed another huge wave of disease to get there. |
Here's what we're focusing on today: |
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