SALT LAKE CITY — The FDA is meeting Thursday to consider the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, and could approve emergency use by early next week.
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However, a new Associated Press poll shows less than half of Americans are ready to roll up their sleeves.
47 percent of Americans surveyed plan to get vaccinated, while 27 percent are unsure and 26 percent do not plan on getting the vaccine.
READ: Only about 50% of Americans want a COVID-19 vaccine, poll says
Health officials say the Pfizer vaccine is 95 percent effective, and Moderna's vaccine is 94 percent effective.
READ: FDA report confirms the safety of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, authorization expected in days ahead
“Just to give you a sense of what that means,” said Dr. Peter Hotez with Texas Children’s Hospital. “Our very best vaccine, of any vaccine, is the measles vaccine in two doses gives you 97 percent."
Experts believe having low confidence in the vaccines will delay the ultimate goal of herd immunity, which requires 60 to 70 percent of Americans getting the COVID-19 vaccine.