Effect of the suspension of the J&J COVID-19 vaccine on vaccine hesitancy in the United States

Yuli Lily Hsieh; Summer Rak; Gillian K SteelFisher; Sebastian Bauhoff

doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.11.085

Effect of the suspension of the J&J COVID-19 vaccine on vaccine hesitancy in the United States

Vaccine. 2022 Jan 24;40(3):424-427. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.11.085. Epub 2021 Dec 11.

Authors

Yuli Lily Hsieh¹, Summer Rak¹, Gillian K SteelFisher², Sebastian Bauhoff³

Affiliations

¹ Interfaculty Initiative in Health Policy, Harvard University, 14 Story Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
² Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
³ Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].

Abstract

On April 13, 2021, U.S. authorities announced an investigation into potential adverse events associated with the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen, J&J) COVID-19 vaccine and recommended "a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution." We examined whether public attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination shifted after this recommended suspension using an interrupted time series with data from the Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey, which was fielded bi-weekly between January 6 and April 26, 2021. We found no significant changes in trends of the proportion of the U.S. adult population hesitant about getting a COVID-19 vaccine, but a significant increase in concerns about safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines among the already hesitant population.

Keywords: COVID-19; USA; Vaccine hesitancy; Vaccine safety.

MeSH terms

Adult
COVID-19 Vaccines*
COVID-19*
Humans
SARS-CoV-2
United States
Vaccination
Vaccination Hesitancy

Substances

COVID-19 Vaccines