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A majority of Americans will not be getting COVID boosters this fall, a new survey has revealed.
A survey carried out by healthcare organization KFF shows that 59% of respondents said they either will not or likely will not receive a booster.
About 37% said they “definitely” won’t, and the remaining 23% said they “probably” won’t.
Just 36% of Americans over the age of 65 said they will “definitely” get this year’s updated COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available.
Last Thursday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new data showing vaccination rates among kindergarteners in the US have hit a record low for the third successive year, as more and more parents make use of religious exemptions.
Diptheria vaccination rates, for example, have fallen to 92.1% from 94.9% before the pandemic.
Vaccination rates for the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jab have fallen from 95.2% before the pandemic to 92.5%.
At the same time, the number of nonmedical exemptions, including religious and philosophical exemptions, has increased from 3.3% during the 2023-24 school year to 3.5% in the 2024-25 school year.
Just four states—California, Maine, New York and Connecticut—prohibit religious or philosophical exemptions from school vaccine mandates.
According to the CDC’s figures, the percentage of kindergartners with religious exemptions increased in 36 states and the District of Columbia. The percentage exceeds 5% in 17 states, with Utah having the highest percentage, at 15.4%.
The percentage of unvaccinated children is likely to be higher than reported, because of the growing number of homeschooled children in the US.
About 7% of all school-age children are now estimated to be taught at home.
There is widespread support for revisions to the vaccine schedule and significant opposition to mandatory vaccination.
A recent poll of over 1,000 registered voters showed that 60% of parents with young children supported reviewing the current childhood vaccine schedule.
A study published last month showed 60% of pregnant women and young mothers are considering delaying or refusing routine vaccinations for their children.
And a study funded by the National Institutes of Health found that 74% of elementary school personnel surveyed in California said their schools did not have the authority to deny medical exemptions and that a majority opposed COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
