COVID-19 vaccination produces a more consistent immune response than a past infection. With the delta variant, the difference in protection may be even greater.
People who haven’t gotten vaccinated for COVID-19 often have complex reasons for their relunctance or may face other barriers. Lumping them all together undercuts the vaccination campaign.
With youth ages 12 and over eligible for COVID-19 vaccination — and as trials for younger children move ahead — parental hesitancy is emerging as the new challenge for COVID-19 vaccine programs.
With enough vaccine supplies coming online from October, the government has no excuse not to have all arrangements in place for an efficient vaccination program. Here’s what needs to change.
Should people be compelled to take the vaccine? Should you feel guilty for skipping the line? And what about parts of the world where vaccines aren’t readably available? Ethicists have it covered.
The rules around allocation, and the enforcement of those rules, can’t rest with each individual. Responsibility lies with those in charge of delivering vaccines.
Our attitudes and behaviours are shaped by what others in society do. So there’s a real danger that vaccine hesitancy, when reported widely in the media, could catch on to more people.
The federal government is due to launch a new advertising campaign for COVID-19 vaccines in July. This is a chance to offer something more engaging than what we’ve seen to date.
If we think about the success of the UK’s vaccine rollout to date, and factor in how social norms tend to diffuse, then there’s good reason to be optimistic.
Free doughnuts and lotteries may drive some people to get their COVID-19 vaccine. But for those who are afraid of needles, other interventions may be necessary.
Age and education level are the main factors associated with vaccine hesitancy. While this affects Māori and Pacific communities, basic access to health care and information is more important.
Answers to key questions about rare blood clots linked to AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, including risks, symptoms and whether people who have had one AstraZeneca shot should have a second.
As vaccine eligibility is expanded to adolescents and young adults, understanding who might be more likely to be vaccine hesitant, and why, can help inform public health strategies
Paediatrician at the Royal Childrens Hospital and Associate Professor and Clinician Scientist, University of Melbourne and MCRI, Murdoch Children's Research Institute
Senior Scientist, Cochrane South Africa, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and Honorary researcher, Division of Social & Behavioural Sciences, School of Public Health, UCT, South African Medical Research Council
Visiting Professor in Biomedical Ethics, Murdoch Children's Research Institute; Distinguished Visiting Professor in Law, University of Melbourne; Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics, University of Oxford