Doubts in the United States regarding the COVID-19 vaccine persist: 46% of those who have not yet been vaccinated against this virus say they will not, while 29% say they probably neither.
This is data from a new national survey by The Associated Press-NORC's Public Affairs Research Center.
The groups most reluctant to immunize against coronavirus are young adults, Americans without a college degree, white evangelicals, rural Americans, and Republicans.
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Only 7% of those who have not been inoculated say they will definitely get the COVID-19 vaccine, and 15% say they probably will.
With the restrictions to a minimum since the start of the pandemic more than 15 months ago, only 21% are very or extremely concerned about catching COVID-19 in their inner circle, the lowest level since the virus began to spread.
25% are very concerned that lifting restrictions will lead to more people being infected in their community
.
Meanwhile, the vaccination campaign has achieved that almost 52% of the entire population in the country has already received at least one dose while 42.6% are already immunized, according to CDC data.
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Andrea Moran, a 36-year-old freelance writer and mother of two, said she is relieved and happy at the opportunity to get back to “doing the little things,” like having a drink on the patio of a restaurant with her husband.
"Honestly, I almost cried," Moran said.
"It's a feeling of having gone through the wringer and starting to come out of it," he added to the AP news agency.
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Still,
34% of Americans believe that restrictions in their area have been lifted too quickly
, while slightly fewer (27%) say they were not removed quickly enough.
About 4 out of 10 rate the reopening rate more or less correct.
Daily life for Americans suddenly changed after COVID-19 spread across the US in early 2020.
On the advice of health officials and governments, people isolated themselves in their homes to prevent the spread of the virus.
Still,
more than 33 million people have been infected and more than 600,000 have died in the country.
Protest against vaccines and masks in New York City, March 20, 2021.Tayfun Coskun / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
The advent of the vaccine has helped reduce rates of coronavirus infection and death, allowing state and local economies to reopen, and prompting Americans to return to activities they once enjoyed.
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The survey also reveals that many residents in the country still wear masks and take precautions to avoid contact with other people, but the percentage of those who do so has dropped significantly from a few months ago.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned last month that vaccinated Americans do not have to wear a mask in most settings, indoors or out.
At the end of February, 65% said they always wore a mask when around people outside their homes.
Now only 37% do, although 19% say they often use it
, according to the survey.
40% of Americans say they are extremely or very likely to wear a mask when participating in indoor activities outside their homes, while only 28% say the same about outdoor events.
Aaron Siever, 36, of New Market, Virginia, said he and his wife have consistently worn face masks and taken other precautions, including vaccination.
But Siever said the virus-related restrictions were not lifted quickly enough, lamenting that some precautions became politicized and caused "inherent panic."
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"I think with the use of masks and people getting vaccinated we could have opened a little earlier. We started to focus on the policy of reopening, instead of health," Siever told the AP agency.
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Now that most states have lifted the restrictions, the survey reveals that roughly two-thirds of Americans who used to travel at least once a month say they will do so in the coming weeks.
About three-quarters of frequent restaurant or bar goers before the pandemic say they will now return.
A year ago, only half said they would travel or go to restaurants if they could.
Also, more and more people are beginning to visit friends and family, go to the movies or concerts, attend sporting events, and shop for non-essential items in person.
In Cookeville, Tennessee, Moran noted that his family still regularly wears masks in public, especially when they are indoors or around a lot of people.
Both she and her husband have been vaccinated.
Moran said he has eaten at outdoor restaurants, but is avoiding eating indoors.
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"Even if the air conditioning circulation is good, I don't feel comfortable in an indoor area, where there are a lot of people I don't know," Moran said.
With information from AP.
