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The problem, he said, is herd immunity is only possible if enough people are vaccinated. And he added the numbers his team compiled might already be on the low side, given an August study in the United States reportedly clocked 50 per cent with anti-vaccination attitudes.
“That surprises me,” he said.
Asmundson said those not wanting to get vaccinated largely fall into camps at opposite ends of the spectrum — on one side, those who are anti-vax, COVID deniers or minimizers and those who generally distrust experts; and, on the other, those who are fearful of an as-yet-unknown vaccine. Those in the first group might never be reachable, so the trick is to try to reach those in the second camp.
The study asked those who didn’t want a vaccine to provide reasons. Tops on the list were worries about inadequate testing, potential negative side effects or concerns the vaccine wouldn’t work. Addressing those concerns in the right way, Asmundson said, is crucial to convincing more people to get a vaccine, thereby allowing herd immunity a chance to work.
The right approach isn’t likely to be urgings from government leaders, but rather education and awareness coming directly from experts in the health field — most often, here in Canada, our chief medical health officers.
“What that boils down to for public health campaigns, in order to increase the likelihood that people get vaccinated, those campaigns should include messages that the vaccine was rigorously tested, that it was developed following established procedures that were not rushed, and the message delivered by a recognizable and trusted health authority as opposed to a community leader or social media influencer,” he said. “I think that’s really what becomes important, because we will see messages about this, and the way those messages are constructed are going to either be influential or they’re going to be ignored.”
The study provided an example of what not to do, noting the U.S. termed its vaccine production program “Operation Warp Speed.” The writers of the study suggested “Operation Due Diligence” would likely go further to engage public trust.
