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EXPERTS WARN ANTI-VAXXER CONCERNS ABOUT A COVID-19 VACCINE COULD SLOW THE END OF
THE PANDEMIC

Kelly McLaughlin and Yelena Dzhanova
Dec 3, 2020, 11:23 AM
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A protester holds a placard during the Irish Freedom Party an anti-vaccination
and anti-lockdown rally outside the Custom House, on day 39 of the nationwide
Level 5 lockdown. On Saturday, November 28, 2020, in Dublin, Ireland. Artur
Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images
 * Vaccines are a safe and controlled way to gain immunity to a virus without
   contracting the disease, but some Americans are still skeptical of an
   upcoming vaccine against the novel coronavirus.
 * Anti-vaxxers in the US and beyond are worried there isn't enough information
   to make an educated decision on whether to get a vaccine to protect against
   or prevent the disease.
 * Experts told Insider their hesitation could derail nationwide progress in
   curtailing the spread of the virus, which has infected more than 13 million
   Americans and killed 272,000.
 * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

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As pharmaceutical companies race to develop successful vaccines to end the
coronavirus pandemic, anti-vaccination communities are predictably skeptical
that they will get shots to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Despite scientific evidence showing the safety and efficacy of vaccines, the
proportion of Americans who say vaccinations are important and safe has
decreased about 10% in the last two decades, Gallup polling shows. This year,
critics have made headlines during the pandemic by protesting a potential
COVID-19 vaccine, attempting to discredit scientists, and vowing they would not
be vaccinated against the novel coronavirus.

Experts warned Insider that this skepticism could make it take longer to curtail
the spread of the virus in the US and around the world.

On Tuesday, the UK approved the first COVID-19 vaccine for public distribution.
The US is expected to follow suit with the leading candidates from
pharmaceutical companies Moderna and Pfizer when regulatory bodies are finished
reviewing the safety and efficacy data from the clinical trials measuring the
vaccines.




A majority of Americans, 58%, said in a November Gallup poll that they would
take a coronavirus vaccine if it was available today at no cost to them. Still,
a sizable chunk, or 42%, said the opposite. Most people who were hesitant cited
worries about rushed development or wanting to know more about the safety or
efficacy of the vaccines. Of the people who said they wouldn't get a COVID-19
vaccine, only 12% said they "don't trust vaccines in general."

But the struggle, health experts told Insider, will be getting enough people to
get a vaccine.



Joseph Varon, the doctor in charge of the COVID-19 unit at United Memorial
Medical Center in north Houston, checks on a COVID-19 patient. Carolyn Cole/Los
Angeles Times via Getty Images

Anti-vaccine communities on social media viewed by Insider are split on whether
to trust COVID-19 shots. Some people fear there isn't enough clear information
about the new coronavirus for them to make an educated decision. Others are flat
out rejecting a coronavirus vaccine.

Peter Hotez, an expert on vaccine development from the Baylor College of
Medicine, told Insider that communities suspicious of vaccines include people on
the far right arguing for individual health freedom, as well as some ethnic and
religious groups.




"The anti-vaccine movement does not always speak with one voice," Hotez said.

There is no single definition for what it means to be an anti-vaxxer. Some
self-identified anti-vaxxers are vehemently against all vaccines. Some are
skeptical of specific vaccines, like those developed for the coronavirus, for
example.

"I don't believe vaccines are bad, but with the amount of lies and deception
surrounding COVID, I genuinely don't trust this vaccine," Alabama-based Michael
Freeman, who is part of an online anti-vaccine group, told Insider. "I'd say get
it eventually, but not right now."


Anti-vaccine activists protests in front of the Massachusetts State House in
Boston on August 30, 2020. Scott Eisen/Getty Images

One Michigan-based man who's been against vaccines for 12 years said he had a
negative experience the last time he got vaccinated. Mitchell Frost received a
tetanus shot in middle school that caused "severe pain" and forced him to stay
off the track team for weeks, he said. That experience is ingrained in Frost's
mind, especially as progress in COVID-19 vaccine development ramps up.





Frost said he thinks vaccines are coming "too fast to [the] market," adding that
the companies developing the vaccines are relying on humans to be a "test rat."

It's not unusual for people to be skeptical of vaccines, and some skepticism can
come from a good place, according to Jennifer Reich, a sociologist at the
University of Colorado Denver who's studied vaccine hesitation.

Reich told Insider there's a small group of the population "who will never
believe vaccines are useful." However, she added, it's more productive to focus
on the people who aren't sure they want vaccines.

"Vaccines are different than other medications because it requires a healthy
person to agree to absorb some minute risk to protect against the risk of
infection that can often be life-threatening," Reich said. "The result is that
people weigh risks and benefits and decide if they trust the vaccine's safety
and weigh their perceptions of the risk of the vaccine against their
understanding of the risk of the disease. These perceptions may not reflect
scientific evidence about risk, but do reflect people's fears, concerns, and
beliefs about their ability to control disease."




She added that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, about one-third of parents
delayed giving their children vaccines.

"Most people who are hesitant about vaccines are not 'anti-vaxxers,'" she said.
"They are trying to weigh information and make decisions that feel safe and help
them accomplish their goals for themselves and their families. This makes me
believe we aren't as far apart as it might seem at times."



Lisa Taylor receives a COVID-19 vaccination from RN Jose Muniz with the help of
Karenda Palmer, a staff member, as she takes part in a vaccine study at Research
Centers of America on August 07, 2020 in Hollywood, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty
Images


MISINFORMATION AND UNEVEN POLICIES ARE BARRIERS TO REACHING IMMUNITY

Since the novel coronavirus first appeared, state officials have been responding
to outbreaks individually, enforcing regulations and cautioning citizens in
varied ways. There are indicators that's unlikely to change once vaccines roll
out.

From state to state, government officials are determining whether the vaccine —
when it goes through its final approval stages and is ready for distribution —
will be mandatory. New York City's Fire Department, for example, said its
front-line responders and medics will not be required to get one.




Research on immunity after recovering from COVID-19 is ongoing. Scientists don't
yet know exactly how long a person is immune from being infected with the virus
a second time. But vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are about 95% effective in
trials and are expected to start rolling out in the coming months.

The top scientist on the US government's Operation Warp Speed group tasked with
overseeing vaccine development and rollout said on Wednesday that he expects 100
million Americans to receive a vaccine in the next 100 days once they're
approved.

About 70% of a population needs to have COVID-19 antibodies to interrupt the
spread of the virus, according to the Mayo Clinic.

A spokesperson for the World Health Organization told Insider anti-vax views can
be "dangerous" because "They are not supported by science."




"Refusal to be vaccinated can lead to gaps in herd immunity, and have a range of
consequences," the spokesperson added. "These consequences can go far beyond the
health of individuals and communities and have a broader impact on society and
economies as well."

Vaccines are a safe and controlled way to gain immunity to a virus without
contracting the disease, but with factors like misinformation fueling
hesitation, Hotez said he is concerned the US won't reach 70% because of the
anti-vaccine movement.


Houston Fire Department medics transport a man to a hospital after he suffered
cardiac arrest on August 11, 2020 in Houston, Texas. Heart failure is a frequent
result of COVID-19. Firefighters and medics wear protective masks on all medical
calls, whether patients have been tested for COVID-19 or not, in order to
protect themselves from infection. John Moore/Getty Images

"We need to expand vaccine communications through our HHS federal agencies, FDA,
CDC, but also at the state and local level," he told Insider. "In parallel, we
need to better educate healthcare professionals about vaccines, and finally,
explore how we can take down some of the anti-vaccine content now pervasive on
the internet, social media, and e-commerce platforms."

For the first few months, Americans received garbled guidance on how to steer
clear of the disease. Health officials frequently fell out of line when
specifying precautionary steps to take. In March, in part because of the dire
shortage of protective equipment for health professionals, Surgeon General
Jerome Adams warned against wearing face masks. Just weeks later, the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention changed course upon evaluating "new evidence"
and began to urge people to wear masks.




Further confusion can be traced to misinformation that sprouted online in less
official capacities. Since the pandemic's onset in the spring, conspiracy
theorists and scammers have been publishing fictitious or inaccurate information
about the spread of the coronavirus.

Reich said confronting misinformation can be difficult and not a particularly
useful way to persuade people to be vaccinated. She said public-health experts
and authorities should focus on transparency and "providing clear information"
about the vaccine development process.

"I found that while researching vaccines, the US has an impressive system of
multiple layers of scientific review from multiple committees of experts. Yet,
most people don't know a lot about this process and need more information to
feel comfortable trusting vaccines are safe," Reich said. "Providing clear
information that explains why the public should trust the process of developing
these vaccines and why they are worthy of their trust would go a long way in
persuading people to get them."

Read more: Drugmakers behind 3 coronavirus vaccines say they work. Here's
everything we know about the race for a vaccine and when you might be able to
get a shot.


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SEE ALSO: THE UK HAS APPROVED A COVID-19 VACCINE, BUT THE US IS STILL WAITING.
HERE'S WHY.

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