More Americans now worried about vaccine demand than supply: Gallup

A greater percentage of Americans are now more worried about declining demand for COVID-19 vaccines than they are about the availability of doses, according to a Gallup poll published Wednesday. 

The survey found that with more than half of U.S. adults now having had at least one shot, about 55 percent are worried about members of their local community refusing to get vaccinated. 

This is more than three times higher than the 15 percent of American adults concerned about vaccine supply. 

According to Gallup, about 28 percent of respondents said they were “very” worried about vaccine demand, with 27 percent “moderately” concerned. 

Democrats included in the survey expressed much more concern than Republicans, with roughly 4 in 5 Democrats and 78 percent of those worried about contracting COVID-19 saying they were worried about people in their area not being vaccinated. 

Comparatively, only 23 percent of Republicans and 45 percent of those who said they were not worried about being infected said they were concerned about vaccine demand. 

Despite these concerns, the Gallup poll found that a record high of 76 percent of American adults are satisfied with the vaccine rollout process in the U.S., an increase from 68 percent recorded in March. 

With all American adults ages 18 and older eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine, supply has now come to outpace demand, bringing with it concerns from health experts and others on when the U.S. will be able to reach herd immunity. 

CVS Health on Tuesday said that the demand for vaccines at its locations across the U.S. has dropped by nearly a third in recent days. 

CVS CEO Karen Lynch revealed the news in an earnings call, adding that the company has started offering walk-in appointments to make it easier for customers to get vaccinated. 

“We have kind of passed the wave of people who really wanted to get it and who signed up,” Lynch said. “There is a part of the population that says, ‘I’m only going to get it if it’s easy and convenient and if I happen to be in a place where I can get it.’ There are other populations where people are just afraid.”

A CBS News analysis released Monday found that as the pace of vaccinations slows across the country, at least 22 states are not requesting their full inoculation allotments. 

White House press secretary Jen Psaki addressed the slowing vaccination rate last month, adding that the Biden administration was working to address the issue of supply outpacing demand. 

Gallup’s Wednesday poll, conducted April 19-25, surveyed 3,731 U.S. adults and reported a margin of error of 2 percentage points.