Omicron variant not convincing unvaccinated people to get the COVID-19 shot

Photo: Pramote Polyamate/Getty Images

The Omicron variant of COVID-19 is the latest variant of concern in the global fight against the disease, but attitudes differ wildly about it – especially when it comes to vaccinated vs. unvaccinated individuals.

The Kaiser Family Foundation COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor, a quick response survey, found that half of adults, including 52% of vaccinated adults, say they are worried they personally will get seriously sick from the coronavirus, up from 30% in November, prior to the news of the Omicron variant. Unvaccinated adults remain less concerned, with about four in 10 (42%) saying they are worried about getting seriously sick.

The threat of the new variant may be encouraging some vaccinated adults to get a booster dose. Half of vaccinated adults who have not yet received a booster dose (27% of all vaccinated adults) say the news about the new Omicron variant makes them more likely to get a booster dose. There’s some confusion around the CDC recommendation that all vaccinated adults receive a booster dose, with 23% of adults (including 21% of vaccinated adults) saying they’re unsure about the CDC’s recommendation or incorrectly saying the CDC has not recommended this.

On the other hand, unvaccinated adults remain relatively unmoved by the recent news of the Omicron variant, with a large majority of unvaccinated adults (87%) saying the news about Omicron doesn’t make them more likely to get vaccinated. Twelve percent of unvaccinated adults say news of the Omicron variant makes them more likely to get a vaccine.

When unvaccinated adults are asked what would convince them to get a COVID-19 vaccine, half say nothing could convince them. Much smaller shares offer that more research and transparency (12%) could convince them to get vaccinated. Even fewer say they would get vaccinated if they were required for work or if the vaccine became mandatory (6%); if they received large monetary incentive for getting the vaccine (5%); if their doctor recommended it (3%); or if the vaccine prevented 100% of all infections (3%).

WHAT’S THE IMPACT

On December 1, public health officials in California confirmed the first case of the Omicron variant was detected in an individual in the U.S. Since then, the variant has been detected in numerous states and public health officials are warning of increased transmission, hospitalizations and potential deaths.

Racial differences emerged in the data, as larger shares of Hispanic adults (64%) compared to white adults (43%) are worried about getting sick, while half of Black adults (52%) report the same. Similarly, a larger share of vaccinated adults (52%) than unvaccinated adults (42%) say they are worried about getting sick, as do larger shares of Democrats (57%) compared to independents (46%) and Republicans (39%).

With the CDC expanding recommendations for additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for all fully vaccinated adults, half of vaccinated adults (49%) now say they have received an additional dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. And half of vaccinated adults who have not yet gotten a booster dose (27% of all vaccinated adults) say the news about the Omicron variant makes them more likely to get a booster dose.

THE LARGER TREND

The World Health Organization declared Omicron a “variant of concern” in November, and many unknowns still remain, such as how effective vaccines will be at mitigating its spread.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has signaled its intent to actively work with federal partners, international regulators and medical product companies to quickly address any potential impacts of the new Omicron variant on the tools being used to fight the pandemic.

In an announcement this month, the FDA said it’s working quickly to evaluate the potential impact of this variant on currently available diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. The agency has promised to communicate this information to the public.

That could take a while. Historically, the work to obtain the genetic information and patient samples for variants, and then perform the testing needed to evaluate their impact, takes time. The FDA did, however, say that it expects most of this work to be completed “in the coming weeks.”

Meanwhile, Fitch Ratings has found that while the Omicron variant of COVID-19 will likely cause challenges for the nation’s hospitals, nonprofit hospitals in particular will be able to manage these challenges without outsized effects on operations and cash flows.

A little more than a week after Omicron was first detected in the U.S., 21 states have confirmed cases of the new COVID-19 variant.

Booster shots are needed to neutralize the Omicron variant, according to a statement released by Pfizer. An initial laboratory study demonstrated that antibodies induced by the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine neutralize the Omicron variant after three doses, the company said.
 

Twitter: @JELagasse
Email the writer: [email protected]