People who oppose vaccination won’t be swayed by statistics. To convince them, it is necessary to share real-life experiences and stories with which they will identify.
In Fiji, 95% of adults have received one jab and 80% are fully vaccinated. In PNG, however, less than 1% of the population is fully vaccinated – and the country is giving away its vaccines.
Bundhurr Marburumburaay Miilgi Ngalgarra (lighting, thunder, rain, shine)- no matter how big, strong or scary the storm the sun will shine again. Artist Renae Lamb, Wiradjuri Wongabong. Owner Midnight Dreaming.
Used with permission.
Provided by author
The COVID-19 pandemic is a stressful time for all, and even more so for people experiencing trauma-related stress. How can public health emergency responses avoid further trauma for vulnerable people?
An anti-vaccine protester and a vaccine supporter demonstrate in from of a Montréal hospital in September, 2021.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
Trust is needed to curb vaccine hesitancy. Governments need to explain vaccines and other public health measures, while also speaking to the broader purpose of caring for the community we belong to.
Canadian Minister of Health Patty Hajdu speaks during a press conference in Ottawa.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
When it came to managing the spread of COVID-19, Canada fared better than the United States and the United Kingdom, but worse than other welfare states like New Zealand and Japan.
While the vast majority of health workers are prepared to accept COVID vaccinations, we need to make sure the concerns of the minority are heard and don’t compromise safety.
People tend to stick with their stated beliefs. But here’s how external forces like vaccine mandates can push people to do something they don’t want to do – and provide some face-saving cover.
An anti-vaccination protester holds an upside down Canadian flag during a demonstration outside the venue of a Liberal Party election campaign event, in Newmarket, Ont.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Vaccine hesitancy has been a subject of intense study in the field of scientific communication. Anti-vaxxers’ recent radicalization needs to be looked at.
Sometimes facts and statistics aren’t enough to convince someone to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
PeopleImages/E+ via Getty Images
There are a variety of reasons why people do or don’t want to be vaccinated. Depending on how they frame their messaging around vaccination, doctors can often be the deciding factor.
Ivermectin is used to treat parasitic infections, but has not been shown to prevent or treat COVID-19.
(Shutterstock)
Republicans are four times as likely as Democrats to say they’re not going to get the COVID-19 vaccine. What’s behind the polarization of who trusts or denies science?
In the reluctance to vaccinate, there is a lack of trust and understanding of the scientific process. Better communication would help rebuild bridges.
The Canadian Press/Paul Chiasson
Before the pandemic, the public perceived science as infallible and inaccessible. But the opening up of research to the general public has changed that perception.
Protesters gather at Indiana University in June 2021 to demonstrate against mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for students, staff and faculty.
SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Subtly shifting the crafting and delivery of public health messaging on COVID-19 vaccines could go a long way toward persuading many of the unvaccinated to get the shot.
Intensive care physicians are yet again facing ICU bed and staff shortages as severe COVID-19 cases rise.
gorodenkoff/iStock via Getty Images Plus
A critical care doctor brings a frontlines perspective to the frustration of dealing firsthand with vaccine hesitancy and discusses the limitations of science and medicine.
By better communicating how vaccines boost the immune system’s long term “memory”, manufacturers could address vaccine hesitancy.
i_am_zews/Shutterstock
Achieving widespread immunity to COVID-19 through vaccination requires as many people as possible to get their shots, including those who object or haven’t bothered.
FDA approval of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine may boost vaccination rates among those who have been hesitant to get the shot.
(AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
The U.S. FDA has approved the first COVID-19 vaccine. How is approval different from emergency use authorization, and what difference will it make to a vaccine that’s already in global use?
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