(MSN News) Nashville, TN—Recent surges of the Delta variant in much of the United States are attributable in part to vaccine hesitancy.
According to a recent survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, 26,760,000 Americans — or 10.7% of the 18 and older population — say they will either probably or definitely not get the vaccination when given the opportunity.
The majority of Americans who have yet to be vaccinated cite one of three reasons: either they are concerned about possible side effects, or they want to wait to see if it is safe, or they think that others would benefit more than themselves from a vaccination. Others cite different reasons.
Nationwide, 16,360,000 people, 6.6% of the adult population, do not trust the COVID-19 vaccines, and another 4,620,000, or 1.9%, are anti-vaccines in general. Additionally, 12,020,000 American adults, or 4.8% of the 18 and older population, have not been vaccinated because they do not trust the government.
In Tennessee, an estimated 871,800 adults, or 16.7%, say they will likely refuse the vaccine. Of all adults in the state, 9.5% will refuse because they do not trust the COVID-19 vaccine specifically, 2.3% because they are against vaccination in general, and 6.8% because they distrust the government.
Perhaps due in part to pockets of resistance, Tennessee is struggling to vaccinate its population rapidly. So far, 38.3% of Tennessee’s population are fully vaccinated, compared to 48.6% of all Americans.
Meanwhile, the virus continues to spread. Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been 868,738 confirmed cases of the virus in the Tennessee, and a total of 12,583 residents have died as a result.
