So, I'm not going to tag all the folks I've had disagreements with for *months* now, since December, who didn't believe me that our bungled messaging on post-vaccine transmission was fueling vaccine hesitancy.
How many examples have we heard now? I hear this every single day. https://t.co/AmOgwNgx39
-
-
This is a version of "if we tell people to mask up, they will stop distancing" which I heard from WHO and other experts early on why they didn't like masks. Sociologically it was the wrong guess and it was quickly debunked with data. People going "wild" fear has hampered so much.
Show this thread -
One can dismiss these as anecdotes but they're everywhere. Plus, we do have polling that shows transmission as key motivator for vaccines. The person I quoted about our terrible messaging was an infectious diseases epidemiologist/scientist at Johns Hopkins University, by the way.pic.twitter.com/Q1gPFnLXog
Show this thread -
I'd seen this in another poll, too. Among those most motivated to get the vaccine? Reason number one and two is they believe vaccine will protect *others*. Resuming normal life as important as not getting COVID. (Wish they had asked this to the hesitant!). https://apnorc.org/projects/safety-concerns-remain-main-driver-of-vaccine-hesitancy/ …pic.twitter.com/mf0zTM12Em
Show this thread -
The success of these vaccines may be among the best tools. Willingness inched up (yeay!) and that's in line with a recent experiment that showed telling people others want the vaccine (true!) helps convince them, too. We can accurately inform *and* create appropriate incentives.
Show this thread
End of conversation
New conversation -
-
-
provide evidence that we *KNOW* that transmission is inhibited please. what is your metric for KNOWING something that is going to affect literally hundreds of millions of human lives, because i think that's where we disagree.
-
I don't know why it isn't clear, as I've been insisting for months and write everywhere, that we can say "we know it will blunt transmission somewhat, but we're waiting for more data for changes to guidelines." Here's a thread from Aaron, but there's more.https://twitter.com/AaronRichterman/status/1358778637638639619 …
- Show replies
New conversation -
-
-
I feel this happened with rapid at home testing as well. An assumption that people would act recklessly, when people actually want to protect the people they're with.
-
If we had told everybody to do testing before seeing people and that they should still wear masks (a la get STD tested, wear condoms) and taught safe socializing rather than abstinence only education, I think we'd be in a much better place now. It's been a whole mess.
- Show replies
New conversation -
-
-
I agree with you that it's best to tell people the truth, even if the truth is you aren't sure of the answer. An old lawyer told me once that people can handle bad news, but what they *can't handle* is surprises. I really think that's true.
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
-
-
Or we could tell them it reduces but does not eliminate transmission, talk about actual transmission paths & to avoid: crowds, poorly ventilated spaces, singing/loud talkers, & keep wearing good masks until we know even more. Give good advice despite ‘Go Wild’ types.
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
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.
