‘Vaccine hesitancy’ grows despite suffering, death
San Jose, Calif. — We’re all desperate for a magic bullet that will restore our pre-COVID lives.
But even some of science’s most ardent fans say they’re reluctant to roll up their sleeves and participate in the pandemic’s first wave of inoculations, unnerved by reports of a rushed timetable, politicization and poor communication.
There isn’t a vaccine yet — and with initial supplies very limited, such apprehension may not pose an immediate problem, say experts. But persistent distrust could spell trouble for the nation’s ambitious Operation Warp Speed campaign to protect all Americans.
These aren’t your usual “anti-vaxxers,” the traditional tinfoil-hat conspiratorialists or fear- mongering celebrities like Jenny McCarthy and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Rather, they are “vaccine hesitants,” a broad and diverse spectrum of Californians whose real world experience of the pandemic so far — and lifelong interactions with government or health care systems — has sown distrust.
“It’s not anti-science that’s driving it. Instead, it’s questioning the integrity of the scientific research. It’s a socio-political issue — whether our current infrastructure is promoting the interests of the public, or the power interests, financial interests, corporate interests,” said Maya J. Goldenberg of Canada’s University of Guelph, author of the forthcoming book “Vaccine Hesitancy: Public Trust, Expertise, and the War on Science.”
Some so-called “hesitants” are liberals who are suspicious of President Donald Trump’s cheerleading; others are anti-government libertarians. If affluent, they’re happy to wait at home until there’s more research. If poor, they are frustrated that vaccine manufacturers seem to be wooing Wall Street investors, not minority communities.
“I believe in vaccines. They’ve helped my family and reduced the mortality of poor people,” said Margaret Gordon, a great-grandmother and co-director of the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project, a community-based organization that monitors air quality.
“But we need more evidence. We have no assurance they’ll work,” she said. “There hasn’t been any real public education.”
As deaths mount, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it will consider historic “emergency use authorization” of a vaccine that shows safety and efficacy. This means looking at interim results of trials that would ordinarily take years, so data will be preliminary and incomplete.
To be sure, many Americans say they would welcome anything that offers hope.
In the hard- hit Latino community, “we have to do something. I think people will be ready. We have people dying from this,” said Ignacio De La Fuente, a business consultant and former Oakland city councilman.
“The reality is, where we are today and what we are experiencing, it will be necessary to get the vaccine,” agreed Oakland Councilman Noel Gallo, whose district includes the Fruitvale, with more infections than any neighborhood in Alameda County, the Bay Area’s hardest-hit county.
But surveys show overall diminishing support. Between May and September, the number of Americans who said they would “definitely or probably” get the vaccine fell from 72% to 51%, according to a Pew poll.
Predictably, the “anti-vaxxers” have seized the moment, alleging that the Moderna vaccine contains a dangerous chemical, the Astra Zeneca vaccine transmits virus and the government is using a secret defense contractor to deploy vaccines and create a surveillance state.
But distrust has broadened to include many others.
Those suspicious of Big Pharma saw early news conferences with industry CEOs as proof that “the bottom line is about shareholders,” said University of California, Riverside professor of public policy Richard Carpiano.
Predictably, the “anti-vaxxers” have seized the moment, alleging that the Moderna vaccine contains a dangerous chemical, the Astra Zeneca vaccine transmits virus and the government is using a secret defense contractor to deploy vaccines and create a surveillance state.