Vaccine Hesitancy Survey Shows Higher Number Than Expected Fear Needles, Prefer J&J Single Shot Vaccine
46% of currently unvaccinated people have moderate to high fear, with a similar proportion wanting a single injection. 17% report fainting, suggesting vaccine reactions may be just injection response
ATLANTA, GA (EMBARGOED UNTIL 7:00 am EDT, April 15, 2021) – A national survey conducted for Pain Care Labs suggests that reaching COVID-19 herd immunity will be difficult without convincing doubters that the vaccines are safe and helping alleviate needle fear. The online survey was conducted April 7, 2021 among 782 people who have not received any COVID vaccination yet.
Respondents were asked what they feared about getting vaccinated, their concerns about the safety of the vaccine and whether they had a fear of needles. 46% of respondents expressed moderate to severe needle fear. Interestingly, 30% of those with a high doubt about the safety of the vaccine also expressed a high needle fear, compared to only 10% of those who weren’t worried about the vaccine.
Perhaps not surprisingly 43% of the respondents would prefer to get the single shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine if given a choice.
“Our research has suggested that needle fear has grown three-fold in the past 20 years,“ says Amy Baxter MD, Clinical Associate Professor Augusta University. “This survey breaks down the clinical impact on avoiding healthcare and immunization. I’m interested to see the breakdown between fainting, soreness and needle pain concerns, and suggestions on how the patients themselves address their fear.”
The survey focussed on the 70% of the population that has yet to receive a COVID vaccine shot. In order to reach herd immunity experts estimate 80-90% of the population needs to be vaccinated. “With half of the currently unvaccinated people either not willing or reluctant, it will be hard to reach that level. I hope that this directs our national efforts more specifically,” commented Dr. Baxter.
The full results from the survey are available upon request.
About Pain Care Labs:
Pain Care Labs was founded in 2006 by pediatric emergency physician and pain researcher Amy Baxter. Inspired by the need to control needle pain, Dr. Baxter set out to develop reusable, physiologic products for home and hospital use. Buzzy®, a palm- sized device combining cold and mechanical stimulation that works at a frequency is now proven to most effectively inhibit pain, improve muscle soreness, blood flow, recovery and more. Since its May 1, 2009 launch, Buzzy® has controlled needle pain for over 37 million procedures in 27 countries. Buzzy is in over 5,000 hospitals and clinics, with over 300,000 units sold.
Media Inquiries: