I research vaccine misinformation + last night I got a booster vax - this is a short thread about my own vaccine hesitancy
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I’m needle phobic and have tendency towards fainting (a lot) and so the thought of getting a vaccine filled me with anxiety. Pair that with the confusion (and fears of cost) of the US medical system and I was dreading navigating and then getting vaccinated.
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Back in April I chose to get the J&J - the idea of one-shot-and-done was so much better for me. Now we’re facing the realities of waning immunity and the need for boosters, making me face my fears a little more often than I’d like.
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In my professional life I spend a lot of time researching & consuming anti-vaccine misinformation + conspiracy theories. I know the science, I trust my scientific colleagues, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say how much the misinfo makes me question myself & undermines my confidence
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This week leading up to my booster I switched off from the content I usually research, adding distance helped me focus on the facts of the safety and efficacy of the Covid-19 vaccines and the reality that I’ve been immunized so many times before with only positive benefits.
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But I understand how compelling anti-vaccine misinformation is to hesitant people. We focus too much on its politicized dimensions, thinking that vaccine opposition is an ideological position of the stubborn.
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Yet faced with my own fears its so tempting to not get a booster, doing nothing often feels like the safest option.
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& If I’m being truly honest overcoming my own fears was less about reminding myself of the science I am privileged to have access to but more the general peer pressure of being surrounded by people for whom getting vaccinated was a logical (and easy) part of their week.
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Vaccine hesitancy is entirely valid & easily cemented into inaction by the misinfo that’s far too prevalent on our timelines. We need to approach it with empathy, to understand that we’re asking people to take a big action, and to give people the community support they need
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Thank you so much for your thoughtful reflection. Okay if I retweet this?
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Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
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