2023

Nearly one-third of California adults will not get additional COVID-19 vaccine doses

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September 28, 2023

Updated COVID-19 vaccines were released earlier this month by the CDC, but will California adults be flocking to their local pharmacies? Not all of them, according to data released today by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

Nearly one-third — or 29% — of California adults surveyed in June 2023 said they would not get additional COVID-19 vaccine doses if recommended by public health guidelines.

The data, made available to the public via the 2023 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) Preliminary COVID-19 Estimates dashboards, builds on previously released data from March, April, and May surveys on Californians’ views on the COVID-19 vaccine and booster, personal and financial impacts of the pandemic, testing, access to masks, and experiences with long COVID.

Among Californians who have not completed the primary COVID-19 vaccine series, 53% of adults were worried about the side effects; 46% said the vaccine was developed too quickly; 44% think a vaccine for COVID-19 is unnecessary; and 23% don’t believe in vaccines in general. Two-thirds (67%) of children and teens said their parents don’t want them to get the vaccine.

The survey also revealed that 1 in 5 (20%) California adults and 2 in 5 (41%) children and teens who completed the primary vaccine series for COVID-19 said they have not received additional doses or boosters, which have been recommended by public health officials.

Additional findings include:

  • About 1 in 7 (14%) California adults experienced financial difficulties with paying their rent or mortgage during the COVID-19 pandemic, including 22% of Black or African American adults 20% of Latinx (20%) adults.
     
  • Nearly 1 in 3 (30%) California adults said they ever experienced COVID-19 symptoms for two months or longer.
     
  • 1 in 3 (32%) California adults said they did not have an N95, KN95, or KF94 mask, with 53% indicating the reason being that they were too expensive. 
     
  • 11% of California adults said they would not wear an N95, KN95, or KF94 mask if public health recommended it as a COVID-19 protection.

By Vanessa Villafuerte for FSPH's UCLA Center for Health Policy Research

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