Although one-third of Americans have been vaccinated against COVID-19, the daily pace of vaccinations has plateaued. Concerns about vaccine hesitancy have been widely reported, but issues of access receive less attention.
In the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers unpack vaccine hesitancy and the potential for primary care to increase uptake of COVID-19 vaccines. The authors report on findings from a March survey by the health care technology firm Phreesia showing that unvaccinated patients can be anywhere on the spectrum, from “vaccine ready” to “vaccine neutral” to “vaccine resistant.”
The findings suggest that more than half of people who haven’t received the vaccine are still open to it. Many people are willing if it involves minimal effort, while others prefer to get the shot where they usually seek care, like their primary care provider’s office.
The NEJM “Perspective” was authored by CUNY Graduate School of Public Health’s Scott Ratzan, M.D., the Commonwealth Fund’s Eric Schneider, M.D., Phreesia’s Hilary Hatch, and Ascension Health’s Joseph Cacchione, M.D. | 
