The Majority of Americans are Not "Anti-Vaxxers"

Most people vaccinate and protect themselves and their families

Aaron Siri wants you to believe that the majority of Americans are “Anti-Vaxxers.”

Why?

Because everyone doesn’t get a yearly flu vaccine and many haven’t gotten this year’s updated COVID vaccine…

The Merriam Webster Dictionary has a rather poor definition of anti-vaxxer that isn’t even supported by the example sentences it provides. They changed their definition on Sept 1, 2022, from the more accurate “a person who opposes the use of vaccines or regulations mandating vaccination.”

But as we all know, semantics aside, that doesn’t make them anti-vaccine.

Anyway, most of those who do skip or delay any vaccines are not necessarily “anti-vaxxers,” but rather are simply anxious and scared by all of the propaganda and misinformation put out by anti-vaccine influencers.

The Majority of Americans are Not "Anti-Vaxxers"

In fact, the great majority of Americans are very supportive of vaccines.

That’s why:

• by age two years, over 80-90% of children are up-to-date with their MMR, chickenpox, DTaP, polio, hepatitis B, pneumococcal and Hib vaccines

• by the time they start kindergarten, over 90% of children are up-to-date with their MMR, DTaP, polio, and chickenpox vaccines

• the majority of children receive a flu vaccine each year

• the majority of teens receive their recommended Tdap, HPV, and meningococcal vaccines

• the majority of women have received an HPV vaccine

• the majority of pregnant women have received a Tdap vaccine during a recent pregnancy

• depending on which state you live in, the majority of adults receive a flu vaccine each year! (Flu vaccine coverage for adults among states and Washington DC this season ranged from 39.0% to 61.0%.)

• the majority of adults have received a COVID vaccine

• the majority of children have received a COVID vaccine

• the majority of infants were protected against RSV this season, either because they received an injection of nirsevimab or their mother got an RSV shot while pregnant

And that’s why those who are truly anti-vaccine - the refusers and vocal vaccine deniers - can still get away with free-riding and hiding in the herd.

Bob Sears was right about one thing!

At least they can for now…

References:

FastStats > Immunization > CDC/National Center for Health Statistics

VaxView Vaccination Coverage > CDC