We have come a long way from Americans lining up in a fear-driven trance to get their first COVID-19 vaccines in December 2020 to a near complete lack of interest in 2023. Many factors have fed into this enormous change in public sentiment.

The COVID States Program conducted by Northeastern University and Harvard reported that 75% of Americans took at least one shot. This is considerably less than what the CDC has been reporting on their website. The States report indicated the CDC was double counting those who lost original vaccine cards and had to start new ones.

Jacobs et al reported from the Arizona CoVHORT study that among 2196 initial vaccine recipients, fewer than 20% took a BA4/BA5 booster shot. Natural immunity, side effects, and lack of efficacy were the main reasons why subjects deferred on the injections. Notably there is no cost and they are widely available at pharmacies in every town in America. So the decision to decline was intentional.