Vaccine hesitancy has been a problem since long before COVID-19, and has pretty much impacted every single vaccine, even ones that have been around for decades and have been used to safely immunize millions or even billions of people (MMR).
-
-
Show this thread
-
So let's go through this. Yes, it's true we need to do better at persuading front-line HCW, especially LTC workers, and folks in the military. NBA players? Sure, why not.https://twitter.com/DLeonhardt/status/1362768083899793413?s=20 …
Show this thread -
And let's talk about these polls saying that "nearly half" of Americans will refuse a vaccine if offered one "immediately". 1. "Nearly half" requires some creative interpretation of poll data because 2. "Immediately" is kind of important here.https://twitter.com/DLeonhardt/status/1362768252766683138?s=20 …
Show this thread -
In reality, vaccine demand is increasing. The number of people who want a vaccine "immediately" has increased substantially, from 34% to 41% (47% if you count people already vaccinated). That's "nearly half" of people who want a vaccine immediately.https://khn.org/news/article/poll-nearly-half-of-american-adults-now-want-the-covid-vaccine-asap/ …
Show this thread -
Furthermore, if you consider the number of people who want a vaccine, just not right away, that's 31%. That means the total number of people who are considering vaccination >70%. Only 20% of people don't want it or won't get it at all, down from 24% in December, per this poll.
Show this thread -
But media surveys, even ones conducted by reputable outlets like
@KHNews, don't always get to the bottom of reasons why. Leonhardt thinks it's because we're all being way too negative about the vaccines.https://twitter.com/DLeonhardt/status/1362768397445042184?s=20 …Show this thread -
Incidentally, in his piece lambasting the overwhelming negativity of scientists, Leonhardt cites this same poll and frames it as "nearly half of Americans would refuse." Talk about negativity! Another way to describe those results is to say that well OVER half would accept.pic.twitter.com/PMhl42DdMb
Show this thread -
He quotes two very respected colleagues (I agree we should be careful with messaging) and acknowledges that there's uncertainty...but blames honest discussions of the emerging science as "widespread negative messaging" for all the uncertainty wholesale.https://twitter.com/DLeonhardt/status/1362768829097664519?s=20 …
Show this thread -
So is that true? Are scientists, in being nuanced and factually correct in explaining the benefits and limitations of vaccines, actually INCREASING vaccine hesitancy? Here's a study that investigated this in France:https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(21)00012-8/fulltext …
Show this thread -
This study showed that hesitancy/refusal depends on a lot of things: -Efficacy -Safety -Where a vaccine is manufactured -Age and gender -Education -Medical history -Past vaccination record -Belief that COVID-19 causes serious problems Not "negative messaging."pic.twitter.com/hi1sQ58LpN
Show this thread -
Surely negative messaging could impact this, but the point is that this study shows what's been known about vaccine skepticism/hesitancy for years: It's complicated, there are many reasons people may be reluctant to get a vaccine. It's not just gloomy scientists being truthful.
Show this thread -
So enter Leonhardt's latest piece, in which he distills all the complexities of vaccine skepticism into a single facile problem with a single facile cause: how the media, scientists, and physicians communicate uncertaintyhttps://twitter.com/DLeonhardt/status/1362769649746731014?s=20 …
Show this thread -
Yet, he doesn't actually present any data other than the
@KHNews poll and some assorted quotes about anecdotal observations from among their own friends and family.pic.twitter.com/PFjZrkcgcA
Show this thread -
So let me jump in with my own anecdotes here. We do vaccine skeptics a disservice by dismissing their concerns as being the result of "bad messaging." We need to take vaccine reluctance/hesitancy seriously, and answer people's questions about them honestly, whatever they may be.
Show this thread -
For some people, that may be "will we have to wear masks forever" and "what's the point of getting vaccinated if we don't know about the impact on transmission". For others it may be "are vaccines safe?" or "how can we know they are safe if they were developed so quickly?"
Show this thread -
For others it may be "why should I feel confident getting a vaccine when medical research has historically exploited my community and we continue to suffer from racial or socioeconomic disparities?" And yes, for some it may be "are there microchips in there?"
Show this thread -
Those of us engaged in communicating with the public have a responsibility to answer these questions seriously and honestly. If I'm asked about the process, it's patronizing for me to dismiss that & reiterate that the vaccines work instead of addressing those concerns.
Show this thread -
It's also patronizing and will further erode trust to assume that the concerned public will only hear negative things about the vaccines when we discuss caveats and uncertainties and this will reduce demand.
Show this thread -
Again, the data cited by Leonhardt as evidence for how negative messaging is contributing to vaccine hesitancy suggests demand for vaccines is *increasing*.https://khn.org/news/article/poll-nearly-half-of-american-adults-now-want-the-covid-vaccine-asap/ …
Show this thread -
People want to know the whole story and they deserve to hear all of it: what we know to be true, what evidence we have, and what we still need to learn. People WILL call bullshit if you shovel it at them, and this will only deepen distrust in science and public health.
Show this thread -
Scolding about "negative messaging" also lets anti-vaxxers off the hook & gives them another angle to exploit. It is anti-vaccine disinformation that nurtured vaccine hesitancy in the public sphere long before COVID, & "blame the negative scientists" does nothing to combat that.
Show this thread -
So yes: -Vaccines work -They are safe and highly efficacious -We don't know everything about the impact on transmission, but it's likely they will have an effect -Vaccines save lives and will end the pandemic long-term -I will get one ASAP -We don't know everything and that's ok
Show this thread -
And also yes: -It's okay to be honest with the public about what we don't know -We should level with the public and respect them enough to not overstate what we know -Vaccine hesitancy is not new, and it's more complicated than just "don't be such a downer"
Show this thread
End of conversation
New conversation -
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.
in
. Rep:
...