For the one in 10 people with a significant fear of needles, getting a vaccination is distressing. This can disrupt vaccination campaigns, but there are effective ways to manage pain and fear.
Coverage of Russian vaccination rollout has focused largely on concerns about ethics of development and inconsistent messaging. But Russian-language research complicates this picture.
Too much of our discussion about vaccine hesitancy imagines the problem in rational terms. Perceptions about COVID-19 and vaccines are driven by emotion, not reason.
Katie Attwell, The University of Western Australia and Marco Rizzi, The University of Western Australia
Research shows Australians are broadly supportive of vaccine mandates. But to appear legitimate, a mandate needs to serve clearly articulated public health goals and be proportionate.
America’s founders accepted the reality of human selfishness. But, they also said people were capable of thinking for the good of the whole, which is necessary for a free society.
Vaccine hesitancy is declining in Canada but hasn’t disappeared. New research shows many of those initially less hesitant have since been convinced. With continued efforts, others can still be reached.
The US has split into “two Americas,” one of the unvaccinated and one of the vaccinated. The differences in deaths and hospitalizations between the two populations are striking.
Nearly a quarter of survey participants were still hesitant about getting vaccinated. Some were not even open to persuasion. Communication campaigns must be tailored to the fears of sub-populations.
The latest survey shows COVID-19 vaccine acceptance is at 81%, but it suggests low reach for the government’s vaccination ads, with only four in ten people saying they’ve seen them on television.
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.
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