How to construct trust in vaccines and dispel myths?

Vaccines have played a key role as a cheap intervention to eliminate disease and improve health all over the world, but vaccination stays a controversial and polarizing topic. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) identified vaccine hesitancy as one among the highest ten threats to global health in 2019. Four years have passed because the first case of Covid-19 was identified and the immediate U.S. response to the pandemic was over. Yet vaccine confidence continues to divide our nation. A survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in March 2023 found that roughly 34% of respondents had taken the Covid-19 vaccine, were fully vaccinated, and were using the most recent booster vaccine (Funk, Tyson, Kennedy, and Pasquini, 2023). The study also found that about 33% of persons are fully vaccinated but haven’t received the ultimate booster dose and raises concerns concerning the safety and effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines. The final 21% completely refused to be vaccinated and had doubts about vaccines.

WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) defines vaccine hesitancy as “delay in accepting or refusing to accept vaccines despite the availability of vaccination services.” These sentiments are shaped by three primary aspects (Anderson and Bryson, 2020):

• Complacency: the assumption that the danger of disease is low
• Convenience: Availability, affordability and availability of vaccines
• Trust: Lack of safety and effectiveness of vaccines, the healthcare system, pharmaceutical corporations, and the leaders who recommend them

Previous study by the corporate Pew Research Center in February 2021 cited several aspects that had a positive impact on individual people getting vaccinated (Funk and Tyson, 2021):

• Trust the vaccine research and development process
• Public health advocates
• Seasonal flu vaccine habits and practices

However, the study also found that 30% of Americans were hesitant to get vaccinated for the next reasons:

• Concerns about unwanted effects
• I imagine the vaccines were developed and tested too quickly
• You need more information concerning the effectiveness of the vaccine
• He had previously experienced too many failures from the medical system
• Don’t think they need it
• In general, do not get vaccines

Building trust in vaccines

Vaccine trust is the boldness that patients, their families, and providers have in really useful vaccines, the people administering the vaccines, and the processes and policies resulting in vaccine development, licensing or authorization, manufacturing, and proposals to be used (CDC, 2023). ). How to construct trust in vaccines amongst people who find themselves hesitant? As health care providers, we’d like to hearken to their concerns, answer their questions, and help them be ok with their decision to get vaccinated.

CDC presents 4 ways to construct trust within the Covid-19 vaccine: :

1. If you might be vaccinated, develop into a vaccine supporter. Be a job model, lead by example and promote your decision to get vaccinated. Let others know you trust the scientific process and imagine in the protection and effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines. Share the rationale why you need to get vaccinated and encourage others to get vaccinated. Encourage leaders in your community or organization to be vaccine champions.
2. Talk to your loved ones and friends about getting vaccinated. Provide opportunities where people can openly discuss their views and ask questions on Covid-19 vaccines, and hearken to their concerns with empathy.
3. Fight misinformation concerning the Covid-19 vaccine. Help educate people about Covid-19 vaccines, how they’re being developed and monitored for safety, and the way individuals can consult with others about vaccines. When you discover details about COVID-19, confirm it with reliable sources and learn how you can reply to misinformation with facts (see below).
4. Share your decision to get vaccinated on social media platforms.

Dispelling myths

There is numerous false information circulating on the Internet, within the media and within the news. When you are asked questions on Covid-19 vaccines, be prepared and arm yourself with the facts. Here are five common myths about Covid-19 vaccines.

Much of the research on coronavirus vaccines and messenger RNA (mRNA) technology was conducted well before the pandemic occurred (Saunders, 2022). The vaccines meet the rigorous scientific standards of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and meet the protection, effectiveness and manufacturing quality review processes required for approval. During the pandemic, tons of of tens of millions of individuals within the U.S. have received Covid-19 vaccines under strict safety supervision (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]2023).

None of the available Covid-19 vaccines available within the US contain the live SARS-CoV-2 virus, so you can’t contract the virus or develop into sick with COVID-19 after receiving the vaccine. Vaccines teach the immune system to acknowledge the virus and fight it. This process may cause symptoms but doesn’t cause infection.

Covid-19 vaccines may cause unwanted effects, but most unwanted effects are minor and short-lived and include pain on the injection site, body aches, headache, fever, chills or fatigue. These are normal signs that your body is constructing protection. There have been reports of myocarditis and pericarditis following mRNA vaccination against Covid-19, so the CDC is closely monitoring these unwanted effects. The CDC continues to recommend that each one people over 6 months of age receive the updated COVID-19 vaccine.

Vaccination remains to be really useful for individuals who have had Covid-19 since the duration of natural immunity and protection is unknown. People who’ve contracted the virus should wait until they’ve fully recovered from Covid-19 before getting vaccinated, and folks treated with monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma should wait 90 days before getting the vaccine.

The ingredients of Covid-19 vaccines include mRNA strand, lipids, salts, sugars and buffers. mRNA vaccines work with the body’s natural defense system to securely develop immunity to disease. mRNA doesn’t enter the nucleus of the body’s cells, where the DNA is situated, and can’t change it. It stays within the cell cytoplasm and is degraded inside a number of hours (Saunders, 2022). The vaccines also don’t contain implants, microchips or tracking devices.

Danielson et al. (2019) describe that essentially the most effective approach to stopping vaccine hesitancy is to interact within the conversation in a non-confrontational way by providing factual, evidence-based information, identifying patients’ beliefs about vaccinations, constructing trust, increasing health literacy, and fascinating in public health initiatives.

What are your experiences with reluctance to vaccinate? Do you’ve got effective strategies you’ll be able to share? Please comment below.

Anderson, P. and Bryson, J. (2020). Confronting vaccine hesitancy: what nurses have to know. (8), 43-46. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NURSE.0000668436.83267.29

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2023, December 20). Vaccines for Certainty: A Strategy to Strengthen Confidence in Covid-19 Vaccines – Building Confidence in Covid-19 Vaccines. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/vaccinate-with-confidence.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2023, November 3). Safety of Covid-19 vaccines. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/safety-of-vaccines.html

Danielson, L., Blima, M., and Boyle, L. (2019). Special feature: Counteracting misinformation about vaccines. (10), 50-55. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.naj.0000586176.77841.86

Funk, C. and Tyson, A. (2021, March 5). A growing share of Americans say they plan to get vaccinated against Covid-19 – or have already done so. . https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2021/03/05/growing-share-of-americans-say-they-plan-to-get-a-covid-19-vaccine–or-already-have /

Funk, C., Tyson, A., Kennedy, B., & Pasquini, G. (2023, May 16). Americans’ largely positive views about childhood vaccines remain regular. https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2023/05/16/americans-largely-positive-views-of-childhood-vaccines-hold-steady/

Saunders, M. A. and L. M. S. W. (2022). Busting COVID-19 Myths: Implications of Vaccine Acceptance for African Americans and Others in Marginalized Communities. , (1), 80–83. https://doi.org/10.32481/djph.2022.03.013

World Health ORganisation. (2019). Ten threats to global health in 2019
https://www.who.int/news-room/spotlight/ten-threats-to-global-health-in-2019