America hits the vaccine wall: Thousands of appointments go unfilled as states across the nation warn that ‘hesitancy’ to get the shots threatens to derail rollout

• Evidence is growing that the US vaccine rollout is beginning to stall out
• Supply is now outstripping demand in many states, with appointments unfilled
• Experts fear vaccine hesitancy will derail attempts to end the pandemic
• So far, at least 49% of American adults have received at least one dose
• Polls suggest only around 60% are interested in getting the shot right now
• That is far below the projected 70-80% needed to achieve herd immunity
• Pause in J&J vaccine may only spur more vaccine fears among the people 

By Keith Griffith | 17 April 2021

THE DAILY MAIL (AP) — The U.S. supply of COVID-19 vaccines is beginning to rapidly outpace demand, as appointments remain unfilled across the country and states say they are running out of people willing to get the shots.

As of Friday, 49 percent of U.S. adults had received at least one vaccine dose, and various polls suggest that only about 60 percent are interested in getting a vaccine right away.

Health officials have suggested that the country needs to achieve a vaccination rate of 70 to 90 percent to achieve coronavirus herd immunity, the point at which a virus no longer circulates freely because it cannot find susceptible hosts.

The decision this week to suspend administering the Johnson & Johnson shot over rare blood clots may only deepen suspicious about vaccines — but public health experts say the pause is evidence that safety concerns are being rigorously monitored.

On Friday, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf issued a desperate plea for residents to get vaccinated, as clinics in the state reported hundreds, if not thousands, of available appointments that were not being filled each day. […]