Despite the recent positive news of multiple vaccines showing to be highly effective in preventing infection from COVID-19, New Jersey residents shouldn’t hold their breath on the pandemic ending anytime soon.
Besides for the fact that the initial vaccine rollout will only be available to the elderly and health care workers, there are several other issues to contend with, as well.
The first is that there might simply not be enough vaccines for everyone until June. According to reports, the US did not order enough of the vaccines from Pfizer to inoculate everyone who wants one until at least June. That means that even if some people get vaccinated, the virus will likely continue running rampant for many more months, which will likely keep us from getting back to normal for a long while.
But even if there were enough vaccines for everyone, a lot of people are decidedly against receiving the vaccine.
According to a poll conducted by Change Research for Project Ready, 60% of New Jersey Republicans, and 20% of Democrats say they won’t get the vaccine, even if it’s FDA-approved and free. 37% of white state residents, 39% of Black, and 45% of Hispanic residents of New Jersey said they won’t get the vaccine.
“Despite the devastating and disproportionate impacts of the pandemic on communities of color, they’re also the least likely to say they will agree to be vaccinated,” said the Executive Director of Project Ready, Shennell McCloud. “Our leaders must take notice that there aren’t just partisan differences driving these reactions and commit to dedicating the resources to educate our neighbors regarding vaccines.”