Booster updates remain minor; Half of those already boosted are waiting for updated CDC guidelines to take another dose
Nearly four in ten (38%) say their household was affected by the triple threat of a virus this winter, someone getting sick with the flu, COVID-19, or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and nearly Half (46%) say news of an outbreak of these three viruses has increased their likelihood of wearing a mask or taking other precautions to avoid getting sick, according to the latest KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor survey.
At the same time, nearly three years into the COVID-19 pandemic, a majority of the public say they are worried (69%) about becoming seriously ill from the virus, although 31% still say they are “not very” or “Absolutely not” are they worried. This is slightly higher than the same can be said for flu (26%) or RSV (25%).
The flu affected the largest share of households (27%) in the past month, with smaller shares saying someone in their household got sick with COVID-19 (15%) or RSV (10%).
A relatively small portion (14%) of adults in households affected by COVID-19 say they tried taking Paxlovid, an anti-viral prescription pill used to treat COVID-19. Similarly, 16% of those households affected by the flu say they tried Tamiflu, an antiviral prescription drug used to treat the flu.
Amid media reports of a shortage of commonly used over-the-counter medications to treat the symptoms of these illnesses, the survey found that 75% of adults in affected households reported using over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol or cough syrup. Tried getting over-the-counter medications, which include approx. One in five (representing 6% of all adults) who say they had difficulty getting that medicine.
News about the three viruses has prompted some people to wear masks in public (31%), avoid large gatherings (26%), travel less (20%), or avoid eating indoors at restaurants (18). Given the possibility of taking preventive measures. ,
People who say they are immunocompromised are more likely to be infected than those who don’t take extra precautions. In addition, black and Hispanic adults are more likely than white adults, and Democrats more likely than Republicans, to say they are more likely to modify their behavior.
Nearly 3 in 10 Adults Now Say They Got the Updated Bivalent Booster Shot
As the federal government prepares to end its public health emergency declaration, the latest survey has found that almost three in ten (28%) adults have received an updated COVID-19 bivalent vaccine booster shot, which slightly higher than December (22%). The increase largely reflects a change in booster rates among Republicans (from 12% in December to 20% in January), though Democrats are still twice as likely to receive an updated booster (39%).
Among high-risk groups, nearly half (47%) of adults at least 65 years old, and nearly a third (36%) of those who are immunocompromised, say they have already received a bivalent booster dose.
People who have already received a bivalent booster are looking forward to getting additional boosters in the future. A vast majority (86%) say it is important to them to get another shot, and more than half (54%) say they are waiting for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to give them another shot. New guidelines may be issued to make eligible for booster.
On the other hand, vaccinated adults who have not received the bivalent booster yet cite a number of reasons why they have not. Half (51%) say they feel their initial vaccination or prior infection has provided them with adequate protection, and nearly as many (44%) say they don’t think they need a new booster.
Smaller shares say they are too busy or don’t have time to get an updated booster (29%), that they had bad side effects from a previous dose (19%), or can’t take time off work to get vaccinated and To deal with side effects from the vaccine (15%).
Designed and analyzed by opinion researchers at KFF, the survey was conducted online and by telephone from January 17-24, 2023, in English and Spanish among a nationally representative sample of 1,234 US adults. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4 percentage points for the entire sample. For results based on other subgroups, the margin of sampling error may be greater.
KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor COVID-19 is an ongoing research project tracking public attitudes and experiences with vaccinations. Using a combination of surveys and qualitative research, the project tracks the dynamic nature of public opinion as to vaccine development and distribution, including vaccine trust and acceptance, information needs, credible messengers and messages, as well as vaccination responses. Including the experiences of the public.