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When the US started rolling out COVID-19 vaccines, I knew I'd sign up for mine as soon as it became available to me. After seeing how the virus ravaged communities throughout the world—and having to wear a mask around and social distance from people I care about—I knew I had to play my part in helping the country regain a sense of normalcy.
Some of my friends, however, weren't quite as excited. After I voiced my own excitement for getting the vaccine, several told me they want to wait a year before getting it. Their reasoning? To see whether any to-be-determined long-term health issues crop up in people who got the jab.
What-To-Say-To-Friends-Who-Want-to-Wait-A-Year-To-Get-The-Covid-Vaccine-GettyImages-1281558088
GETTY IMAGES / DESIGN BY JO IMPERIO
And they're not alone: According to the most recent round of polling conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 17% of the public want to take a "wait and see" approach—meaning they'd like to "wait until [the COVID-19 vaccine] has been available for a while to see how it is working for other people" before getting vaccinated themselves. Though that number has dropped from 31% of people who wanted to take the "wait and see" approach in January 2021, experts say that the US may reach a "tipping point" soon, as the supply for COVID-19 vaccines beings to outpace the demand—which will then threaten the country's chances of herd immunity against the virus.
There are a few explanations as to why someone might be more likely to take the "wait and see" approach regarding the vaccine. For example, they may not trust in the vaccine's safety, Wändi Bruine de Bruin, PhD, provost professor of public policy, psychology, and behavioral science at the University of Southern California, tells Health. Or some may view the vaccine as more of a gamble—seeing equal or greater risks versus rewards—which leads them to hold the belief that more data are still needed and choose to wait it out, Jennifer Trueblood, PhD, associate professor of psychology at Vanderbilt University, tells Health.
However, these ideas are all in contrast to what experts from around the world have told the public about the COVID-19 vaccines: That they are safe, effective, and (despite an expedited process) made using the same methods and precautions for other vaccines—from development, to clinical trials, to emergency use authorizations granted by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Still, the fear is there. So what can you do when faced with a loved one who is open to the vaccine but wants to "wait and see"? Here's what to know.
How the COVID-19 Vaccines Were Made So Quickly—From the Lab to Clinical Trials to FDA Authorization
Do Health Experts Say Delaying the COVID-19 Vaccination Is Ever OK?
The short answer is no. Once you are eligible, it is advised to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
Why? Vaccination is really about controlling the pandemic at a population level through reaching herd immunity, Deborah Fuller, PhD, professor in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Washington, tells Health. "This requires a community effort, everybody to step forward in and get their vaccines, so we can build up sufficient immunity of the population, so that the virus runs out of hosts to infect," she says. Fuller adds that when the virus still has many hosts left to replicate in, it has more opportunity to randomly develop new variants, and some of these variants may reduce the efficacy of the current vaccine.
Also, if you consider the groups of people who aren't able to get vaccinated because of underlying health conditions, delaying vaccination for a year after you're deemed eligible means these individuals will continue to be at risk of contracting COVID-19, says Fuller.
Since extensive development and clinical trials have already taken place, waiting a year to get the vaccine is also just unnecessary. The longest you need to observe any ill effects from vaccines is around eight weeks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—that's because it's highly unusual to experience side effects past that.
Any side effects would be related to your immune response to the vaccine. So, if a vaccine was going to cause any long term side effects, it would usually occur within those six to eight weeks post vaccination, Colleen Kelley, PhD, associate professor of infectious diseases at Emory University School of Medicine and principal investigator for the Moderna and Novavax Phase 3 vaccine clinical trials at the Ponce de Leon clinical research site, tells Health. "We don't have to wait for years to figure out whether any health outcomes are going to pop up."
Some of my friends, however, weren't quite as excited. After I voiced my own excitement for getting the vaccine, several told me they want to wait a year before getting it. Their reasoning? To see whether any to-be-determined long-term health issues crop up in people who got the jab.
What-To-Say-To-Friends-Who-Want-to-Wait-A-Year-To-Get-The-Covid-Vaccine-GettyImages-1281558088
GETTY IMAGES / DESIGN BY JO IMPERIO
And they're not alone: According to the most recent round of polling conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 17% of the public want to take a "wait and see" approach—meaning they'd like to "wait until [the COVID-19 vaccine] has been available for a while to see how it is working for other people" before getting vaccinated themselves. Though that number has dropped from 31% of people who wanted to take the "wait and see" approach in January 2021, experts say that the US may reach a "tipping point" soon, as the supply for COVID-19 vaccines beings to outpace the demand—which will then threaten the country's chances of herd immunity against the virus.
There are a few explanations as to why someone might be more likely to take the "wait and see" approach regarding the vaccine. For example, they may not trust in the vaccine's safety, Wändi Bruine de Bruin, PhD, provost professor of public policy, psychology, and behavioral science at the University of Southern California, tells Health. Or some may view the vaccine as more of a gamble—seeing equal or greater risks versus rewards—which leads them to hold the belief that more data are still needed and choose to wait it out, Jennifer Trueblood, PhD, associate professor of psychology at Vanderbilt University, tells Health.
However, these ideas are all in contrast to what experts from around the world have told the public about the COVID-19 vaccines: That they are safe, effective, and (despite an expedited process) made using the same methods and precautions for other vaccines—from development, to clinical trials, to emergency use authorizations granted by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Still, the fear is there. So what can you do when faced with a loved one who is open to the vaccine but wants to "wait and see"? Here's what to know.
How the COVID-19 Vaccines Were Made So Quickly—From the Lab to Clinical Trials to FDA Authorization
Do Health Experts Say Delaying the COVID-19 Vaccination Is Ever OK?
The short answer is no. Once you are eligible, it is advised to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
Why? Vaccination is really about controlling the pandemic at a population level through reaching herd immunity, Deborah Fuller, PhD, professor in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Washington, tells Health. "This requires a community effort, everybody to step forward in and get their vaccines, so we can build up sufficient immunity of the population, so that the virus runs out of hosts to infect," she says. Fuller adds that when the virus still has many hosts left to replicate in, it has more opportunity to randomly develop new variants, and some of these variants may reduce the efficacy of the current vaccine.
Also, if you consider the groups of people who aren't able to get vaccinated because of underlying health conditions, delaying vaccination for a year after you're deemed eligible means these individuals will continue to be at risk of contracting COVID-19, says Fuller.
Since extensive development and clinical trials have already taken place, waiting a year to get the vaccine is also just unnecessary. The longest you need to observe any ill effects from vaccines is around eight weeks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—that's because it's highly unusual to experience side effects past that.
Any side effects would be related to your immune response to the vaccine. So, if a vaccine was going to cause any long term side effects, it would usually occur within those six to eight weeks post vaccination, Colleen Kelley, PhD, associate professor of infectious diseases at Emory University School of Medicine and principal investigator for the Moderna and Novavax Phase 3 vaccine clinical trials at the Ponce de Leon clinical research site, tells Health. "We don't have to wait for years to figure out whether any health outcomes are going to pop up."
