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CDC report shows vaccine hesitancy growing among young adults

Vaccine
Posted at 5:41 PM, Jul 07, 2021
and last updated 2021-07-07 19:41:10-04

Growing vaccine hesitancy among young adults as the delta variant becomes more prevent across the U.S. New data shows the same groups that have been most affected by the virus are also the ones with the lowest vaccination rates.

All this as President Joe Biden launches a renewed push to get more people vaccinated.

Vaccinations among young adults have been lower and increasing more slowly compared to other age groups, according to a recently published CDC report, worrying health experts.

The CDC report found the weekly rate of newly vaccinated adults 18 to 29 years old slowed to 2% from 3.6% between April 19 and May 22.

Biden urged them to get the shot, citing the delta variant's alarming rate of spread, and saying Americans dying of COVID-19 are overwhelmingly unvaccinated.

"It should cause reconsideration, especially to young people," Biden said.

People who died of COVID-19 in May were younger and more disproportionately black than those who died of the virus throughout the pandemic, based on an analysis of data from the CDC, which also reveals less than 9% of black people are fully vaccinated.

Yet some young people like 21-year-old Destiny Britt say they're skeptical.

"I just need to make sure that it's been around for some time where I know specifically what the side effects are," Britt said.

She says her hesitation is caused in part by the legacy of the Tuskegee syphilis study and concerns about the vaccine's potential rare side effects.

"How do I know that that small percentage won't be me?" Britt said.

The White House is partnering with organizations and private companies to incentivize adults under 30 to get vaccinated.