![]() ![]() Correspondingly, both popular media and public health officials have encouraged physicians to serve as strong advocates for COVID-19 vaccination.Īt the same time, however, there have been several cases of doctors expressing skepticism about vaccines in the media. But many people across the political spectrum still place high levels of trust in their personal physicians. That is why we and our colleagues in health care across the country have teamed up to start #ThisIsOurShot, a grassroots social media campaign to elevate the voices of health heroes to build vaccine trust for a COVID-free world.American attitudes toward scientific expertise have become increasingly contentious in recent years. It’s going to take each and every one of us to share and spread accurate, high-quality information about the vaccine, answer important questions, and shift the focus away from misinformation. It includes everyone and anyone who supports science. That includes not only physicians and health care providers who are trusted by more than 85% of Americans when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine, but also church leaders, educators and community leaders. In order to unify our country and get back to doing the things we love and miss most, we need trusted messengers to deliver trusted messages. ![]() Even though Americans become more willing to get vaccinated, 1 in 5 said they were reluctant to do so, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll last month. Meanwhile, polling shows that many white Americans - particularly white conservatives - may have reservations about getting vaccinated.Īpart from that, experts have told ABC News that social media posts with vaccine misinformation have become normalized since the start of the pandemic - increasing in frequency and appearing alongside content that is less extreme. Hesitancy may be particularly acute in communities of color, like the ones we serve, due to a mistrust of the medical system due to unethical medical experiments among other factors. The false information not only influences medical decisions on an individual level, but also when perpetuated through a community can further contribute to vaccine hesitancy. It’s hard to blame patients for asking these questions, as many of them are unknowingly targets of coordinated disinformation campaigns online. These patients are exactly the ones who benefit greatly from vaccination and help curb the spread of the disease. ![]() This patient with several underlying conditions had an even higher risk of hospitalization or death from COVID. However, there has been a noticeable shift where some patient questions seem to reflect targeted efforts to undermine trust in the vaccine.įor example: a patient was concerned that his preexisting conditions would lead to side effects from the vaccines when, in fact, exactly the opposite is the case. As health care providers, we're used to answering questions from patients about prevention, diagnoses, treatments, and complications. ![]() It’s time to unify all trusted messengers and vaccine advocates to combat misinformation and beat COVID-19.Īs primary care doctors in Dallas and Chicago, we hear the myths perpetuated on Facebook, WhatsApp and YouTube in the form of questions from our patients every single day. Today's safe and effective vaccines are our way out of this pandemic, yet the extent of misinformation and disinformation around them and experts' recommendations has been significant, even somewhat surprising. And for the millions of family members and friends who lost a loved one, the suffering and hardship will remain a part of them. For more than 500,000 Americans, the pandemic ended their lives. Last week marked one year since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. ![]()
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