The Biden Administration’s ambitious plan to vaccinate 300 million Americans by the end of the summer faces multiple challenges — and not all are related to distribution or production.
According to a recent survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, 26,590,000 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, 15,800,000 people, 6.3% of the eligible population, do not trust the COVID-19 vaccines, and another 5,780,000, or 2.3%, are anti-vaccines in general. Additionally, 13,630,000 American adults, or 5.5% of the 18 and older population, have not been vaccinated because they do not trust the government.
In Virginia, an estimated 365,800 adults, or 5.7%, say they will likely refuse the vaccine. Of all adults in the state, 3.6% will refuse because they do not trust the COVID-19 vaccine specifically, 2.1% because they are against vaccination in general, and 1.7% because they distrust the government.
Despite pockets of resistance, Virginia is doing a better job at vaccinating its population quickly than most states. So far, 49.4% of Virginia’s population are fully vaccinated, compared to 45.2% of all Americans.
Meanwhile, the virus continues to spread. In the last week, Virginia reported another 1,016 cases of the virus — though this figure may include a backlog of past cases that were not previously counted. Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been 678,226 confirmed cases of the virus in the state, and a total of 11,330 residents have died as a result.
All survey data used in this story was published by the Census on June 16, 2021. All data related to COVID-19 infections, fatalities, and vaccinations is current as of June 17, 2021.
| State | Share adult pop. of who will likely refuse vaccination | Pop. currently fully vaccinated | Total COVID-19 infections to date | Total COVID-19 deaths to date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 15.6% | 31.6% | 548,160 | 11,279 |
| Alaska | 18.5% | 41.1% | 67,885 | 366 |
| Arizona | 14.6% | 39.2% | 887,569 | 17,779 |
| Arkansas | 20.8% | 33.0% | 344,369 | 5,869 |
| California | 6.4% | 47.4% | 3,697,927 | 62,515 |
| Colorado | 7.4% | 50.0% | 551,719 | 6,700 |
| Connecticut | 5.6% | 58.1% | 348,521 | 8,263 |
| Delaware | 6.2% | 47.4% | 109,421 | 1,679 |
| Florida | 13.1% | 43.7% | 2,307,628 | 37,448 |
| Georgia | 14.3% | 35.1% | 1,129,177 | 21,171 |
| Hawaii | 5.4% | 50.1% | 35,802 | 503 |
| Idaho | 20.6% | 35.6% | 193,832 | 2,116 |
| Illinois | 8.5% | 43.5% | 1,387,986 | 25,505 |
| Indiana | 12.6% | 38.8% | 749,835 | 13,752 |
| Iowa | 13.8% | 46.4% | 372,752 | 6,103 |
| Kansas | 14.5% | 40.6% | 316,014 | 5,125 |
| Kentucky | 17.9% | 41.6% | 462,700 | 7,171 |
| Louisiana | 18.1% | 33.3% | 476,467 | 10,660 |
| Maine | 9.7% | 59.6% | 68,683 | 853 |
| Maryland | 6.9% | 53.3% | 461,470 | 9,695 |
| Massachusetts | 4.8% | 59.0% | 709,012 | 17,949 |
| Michigan | 9.6% | 45.4% | 997,595 | 20,817 |
| Minnesota | 7.7% | 49.8% | 603,966 | 7,611 |
| Mississippi | 17.2% | 28.6% | 319,511 | 7,368 |
| Missouri | 14.2% | 37.1% | 607,722 | 9,224 |
| Montana | 25.8% | 41.5% | 112,949 | 1,647 |
| Nebraska | 9.3% | 45.1% | 223,888 | 2,258 |
| Nevada | 12.3% | 40.4% | 327,831 | 5,626 |
| New Hampshire | 11.3% | 54.5% | 99,178 | 1,364 |
| New Jersey | 4.9% | 53.5% | 1,020,043 | 26,345 |
| New Mexico | 7.4% | 51.4% | 204,392 | 4,302 |
| New York | 6.4% | 51.1% | 2,108,309 | 53,250 |
| North Carolina | 13.6% | 38.6% | 1,009,198 | 13,296 |
| North Dakota | 15.0% | 38.0% | 110,492 | 1,522 |
| Ohio | 14.0% | 43.1% | 1,107,521 | 20,122 |
| Oklahoma | 18.5% | 36.7% | 455,145 | 7,357 |
| Oregon | 11.3% | 51.0% | 205,459 | 2,737 |
| Pennsylvania | 11.6% | 47.8% | 1,209,136 | 27,514 |
| Rhode Island | 6.3% | 56.5% | 152,306 | 2,723 |
| South Carolina | 14.8% | 36.9% | 595,310 | 9,799 |
| South Dakota | 11.9% | 44.4% | 124,377 | 2,026 |
| Tennessee | 12.5% | 34.4% | 865,511 | 12,504 |
| Texas | 11.2% | 39.5% | 2,969,037 | 50,883 |
| Utah | 11.4% | 36.4% | 409,964 | 2,323 |
| Vermont | 3.9% | 63.0% | 24,339 | 256 |
| Virginia | 5.7% | 49.4% | 678,226 | 11,330 |
| Washington | 7.5% | 52.4% | 445,155 | 5,800 |
| West Virginia | 10.0% | 35.7% | 163,221 | 2,856 |
| Wisconsin | 15.5% | 47.4% | 676,406 | 8,023 |
| Wyoming | 22.4% | 33.3% | 61,303 | 734 |
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