… What began as “vaccine hesitancy” has morphed into outright vaccine hostility, as conservatives increasingly attack the White House’s coronavirus message, mischaracterize its vaccination campaign and, more and more, vow to skip the shots altogether.
The notion that the vaccine drive is pointless or harmful — or perhaps even a government plot — is increasingly an article of faith among supporters of former president Donald Trump, on a par with assertions that the last election was stolen and the assault on the U.S. Capitol was overblown. …
Twenty-nine percent of Americans in a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll said they were unlikely to get vaccinated (including 20 percent who said they definitely would not). That compared with 24 percent who said they were unlikely to get a shot three months earlier. The trend is unsettling public health experts, particularly as the outbreak worsens again. CONTINUED
Dan Diamond, Hannah Knowles & Tyler Pager, Washington Post
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