Are Young Adults The Forgotten Unvaccinated?

Stories of all the people in the United States alone who are unvaccinated seem to be dominating my newsfeed. Most offer the same tired perspective: focusing on Republican voters who seem, according to all the news stories you read, to view their choice of avoiding the vaccine as an act of defiance or fidelity to former President Trump (who, ironically, was among the first people to get vaccinated himself).

That's the outrage-stoking story, but there is finally more attention on one group that remains hesitant to get the vaccine for a reason that has nothing to do with politics. Young people have long resisted getting insurance, because they tend to feel invincible. Whether it's COVID or other types of sickness, when you're young and healthy, you tend to dismiss the risk.

Interestingly, it may be Universities preparing for the Fall semester that could offer the greatest opportunity to get more young people vaccinated through programs like lotteries or even mandates from more than 600 schools that only the vaccinated can come back into class.

Someone who believes being unvaccinated is a political choice may be the hardest to convince. A young person who cannot go back to school unless they get the shot, or who sees a chance to win a lottery, seems like a much better group to focus energy on.