Lack of paid leave could be preventing people from getting COVID-19 vaccines, experts say

As the government seeks to increase vaccination rates, some experts say a lack of paid time off is keeping many from getting the coronavirus vaccine.

As the government seeks to increase vaccination rates, especially among communities of color, some experts say a lack of paid time off is keeping many from getting the coronavirus vaccine. There are currently no federal laws that require employers to provide time off -- paid or unpaid -- in order to get a COVID-19 vaccine, according to Dorit Rubinstein Reiss, a University of California-Hastings law professor whose research focuses on vaccines and the law. "It's one of the gaps in our vaccine access issue," Reiss told ABC News. "And if we're looking for ways to increase vaccination rates, that seems like an easy, reasonable fix: requiring employers to provide leave." According to a survey of nearly 18,000 people released earlier this month by the health and data nonprofit Surgo Ventures in partnership with Facebook, as of mid-April the top reasons why individuals in the U.S. wanting to get vaccinated have not done so are: lack of time to get vaccinated, concerns over cost and appointment availability.