The uptake of the latest version of the COVID-19 vaccines, which underwent almost no testing but were rubber-stamped by regulators anyway, has been far lower than expectations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention isn’t publishing real-time data, although what we know so far suggests that it’s in the realm of 2 percent.
This is incredibly low. The most pessimistic prediction I had heard was 5 percent. It’s a deep failure by any standard and precisely why the numbers aren’t being advertised. The average person has stopped buying what they’re selling.
Initially, the excuse was that drug stores faced logistical problems. Then, it was widely suggested that they were too expensive. For a few weeks, such diversions dominated the messaging. But in the end, the reality is here: People just don’t want them.