Truth About Vaccine Boosters

September 2021

Mount Sinai South Nassau ‘Truth in Medicine’ Poll: 75 Percent of Vaccinated Metro Area Residents Say They Will Get a COVID-19 Booster Shot When It Becomes Available

• 53 Percent Think Students Should be Required to Wear Masks in School
  

Metro area residents are ready to roll up their sleeves to receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster when one becomes widely available for the general population, with 75 percent indicating they would get one, according to results of the latest Mount Sinai South Nassau Truth in Medicine public health poll, sponsored by Bethpage.

Twenty-three percent of the metro area residents recently polled who are unvaccinated say they are more likely to get a vaccine now that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given its final approval to the Pfizer vaccine. But 54 percent of the unvaccinated group said the FDA approval had not changed their minds about getting vaccinated.

Asked why they still did not plan to get vaccinated, 43 percent of the unvaccinated group said they either think the vaccine is unsafe or they don’t trust what the government says about it.

Among those who reported being vaccinated, 45 percent said they feel “angry and resentful” toward those who have not been vaccinated.

Area residents also remain split about the polarizing issue of mandating masks in schools. Slightly more than one-half (53 percent) of respondents think kindergarten through 12 students should be required to wear masks while in school to maintain a safe learning environment. But 68 percent of all respondents feel teachers should be required to be vaccinated, the poll showed.

“It’s encouraging that most people seem ready to receive a booster shot,” said Adhi Sharma, MD, President of Mount Sinai South Nassau. “The pandemic is not over. We must do our very best to protect our community, remaining vigilant, wearing masks, and practicing social distancing as recommended, and taking advantage of the proven benefits of these safe and effective vaccines.”

Overall, 82 percent of poll respondents in New York City and Long Island reported that they have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. These percentages are in contrast to the Truth in Medicine Poll released in October 2020, which revealed that only 46 percent of 600 metro area residents surveyed planned to get a vaccine, citing concerns about the vaccines’ development and lack of trust in the FDA’s regulatory process to ensure their safety. Adults on Long Island are slightly more likely to be vaccinated than those in New York City.

• "Truth In Medicine" Poll Press Release
• "Truth In Medicine" Poll Results (PDF)