(HealthDay)—Just over 54 percent of Americans now say they would get a COVID-19 vaccine in the first 12 months after it is introduced, a significant increase from 42 percent in July, a new WebMD poll finds.

However, only 27 percent of the 1,000 readers who participated in the survey said they would get a vaccine within the first three months after it becomes available, which is just slightly higher than 26 percent who said so in the July poll. In the new survey, 12.5 percent of respondents said they would not get a vaccine at all, and 21.4 percent said they are unsure.

For any COVID-19 vaccine to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, it has to prevent or reduce the severity of infection in at least 50 percent of people who receive it. But only 8.8 percent of survey respondents said they consider that 50 percent standard effective, with 65.2 percent saying a vaccine should be 75 to 99 percent effective to be approved by the FDA, WebMD reported. Only 25.6 percent of respondents said they would get a vaccine that was 50 percent effective, 35.5 percent said they would not get the vaccine, 25.6 percent said maybe, and 13.3 percent said they were not sure.

"We already know that people are worried about getting a COVID vaccine, and understanding how well the vaccine works could be another hurdle for patients," said John Whyte, M.D., chief medical officer of WebMD. "Public health officials face a tough challenge explaining to consumers what this vaccine can and can't do."

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