Most In NJ Will Take COVID-19 Vaccine, But Some Skeptical: Survey

NEW JERSEY — With the limited release of a coronavirus vaccine likely days away in New Jersey, most of the more than 4,500 readers who took Patch's survey say they intend to get vaccinated against the virus. But some said they feel wary or concerned about how quickly the vaccines were produced (see results below).

Just a year after the emergence of the coronavirus — which has since killed more than 1.5 million people worldwide and 286,000 in the U.S., per Johns Hopkins — two vaccines against the illness are likely to be approved in the coming days and will be shipped to New Jersey.

Several New Jersey hospitals could soon receive Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine. Murphy said the state will receive 76,000 doses of Pfizer's vaccine to test the effectiveness of its storage freezers in holding them. Read more: NJ Streamlines Vaccine Distribution, Provides New Timing Details

Murphy expects New Jersey to have 300,000 to 500,000 doses by the end of December. He also said he streamlined the process of distributing the vaccine by signing an executive order allowing people to opt out of, rather than opt in to, receiving the coronavirus vaccine once it's publicly available.

"Everybody is in, and you will have a chance at the end of the public health crisis within 30 days to opt out," he said. "This doesn't mean you'll be forced to take a vaccine."

Murphy notes that a vaccine on the horizon doesn't mean the pandemic has ended, but it offers one of the first signs that it will end. And with that, discussions of coronavirus vaccinations in New Jersey have become more prevalent.

Note: Patch's survey was not meant to be a scientific poll, with random sampling and margins of error, but was meant only to gauge the sentiments of our readers in an informal way.

An overwhelming number of New Jersey Patch readers who responded to the survey — 72.8 percent — said they believe in vaccination and try to keep their own vaccines up to date. Meanwhile, 13.7 percent say they believe in it but don't always keep up to date.

Only 2.4 percent of respondents said they don't believe in vaccination at all, while 7.3 percent indicated they mistrust vaccinations and tend to avoid them.

Similarly, 75.6 percent received or intend to get a flu shot this year.

As for whether they intend to get vaccinated against COVID-19, 54 percent of readers said they would at the earliest opportunity. About a quarter — 26.2 percent — say they intend to take a coronavirus vaccine once approved but only after it's been in use long enough to ensure it's safe and effective. Meanwhile, 16.5 percent don't intend to get a vaccine, and 3.3 percent aren't sure.

Those results are largely consistent with the responses for views on "Operation Warp Speed, the U.S. government's public-private partnership to accelerate the development and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. Fifty-three percent of readers say it's a great example of how science and government can work together for the public good. Meanwhile, 28.4 percent believe the process was rushed and worry their safety has been compromised.

But results veered in different directions when Patch asked readers whether the Trump administration's involvement in Operation Warp Speed made them more or less confident about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines. According to the survey, 48.4 percent said it didn't affect their confidence, 32.5 percent became less confident and 19.1 percent felt more confident.

For perspective, it's been just about a year since the first cases of the coronavirus were detected in December 2019, as a cluster of pneumonia cases of unknown origin were diagnosed in Wuhan, China. On Jan. 12, Chinese authorities noted a novel coronavirus termed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Community spread of the coronavirus was first detected in the United States in February, and by mid-March, all 50 states had confirmed cases of the virus.

Another political component to the survey involved who readers trust when it comes to getting information about the vaccine and pandemic. A little more than half of respondents said they trust Dr. Anthony Fauci — the nation's top infectious-disease expert — and medical and scientific experts outside of the Trump administration.

Meanwhile, 20.8 percent said they trust experts within the Trump administration, 10.4 percent said they trust President Donald Trump and 13.7 percent responded none of the above.

Additionally, 46.5 percent believe all children attending school should be required for all children attending school, 36.6 percent think it should be required for children with limited exceptions and 17 percent said it should be up to the parents' sole discretion.

Patch readers were also given the opportunity to leave comments regarding their thoughts on the coronavirus vaccines in general. Many said they trust those behind the development of the vaccines and that they will get vaccinated regardless of which vaccine they receive.

"I will get the vaccine asap and I hope everyone else does too," wrote one commenter. "If not, 2021 will be the same as 2020. That alone should be enough to convince you to get vaccinated. I don't know about everybody else, but I've had enough."

"By all means as I certainly do not want to get the disease," said another.

Others are looking for word from certain officials or would like to see them take the vaccine.

"Murphy and his family need to take it FIRST on live stream with an independent doctor confirming he is taking exactly what he's pushing on the public," said one reader.

"If Fauci says it's ok to take the vaccine, I'm in," a commenter said.

Others say they won't take a COVID-19 vaccine.

"You can have my shots cause I will not take them," a reader said.

With reporting from Shannon Antinori/Patch