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'I don't need the vaccine': GOP worries threaten virus fight

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FRONT ROYAL, Va. (AP) — There is a growing partisan split when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines.

A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that 42% of Republicans say they probably or definitely will not get the shot, compared with 17% of Democrats.

That's raising alarms among health experts who fear it could undermine efforts to achieve herd immunity and finally move past a pandemic that has left more than 530,000 dead.

Those who identify as vaccine hesitant cited various factors, including concerns about potential side effects and their belief that the pandemic has been politicized and overblown.