Side effects major concern about COVID-19 vaccine in US Texas: poll

HOUSTON - The pace of COVID-19 vaccinations is slowing in the US state of Texas with the major concern about side effects, local media reported Wednesday, quoting a poll.

The poll, conducted by The Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler (UT-Tyler), said about 34 percent of the unvaccinated respondents in Texas cited side effects as a factor for not scheduling an appointment.

Another 16 percent said they are "waiting to see" and 11 percent feel they don't have enough information, the poll found.

The poll, conducted June 22-29, surveyed 1,090 registered voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points. It also suggested that education about vaccine side effects could be helpful in getting more people immunized.

Public health experts say the side effects are far less than the risk of contracting COVID-19, but there are still people in Texas who are not convinced.

The poll found that the percentage of registered voters who say they won't get a shot has risen as the number of vaccinated Texans increased, with Republican voters most likely to say no to the vaccine.

State data shows that over 58 percent of eligible Texans have been vaccinated with at lease one dose.