Vax acceptance improving
Docs’ reassurances bring patients around
An increasing number of people across the country plan to get vaccinated against coronavirus, recent surveys show, and a Harvard professor said physicians can play a crucial role in building trust even further.
“We see so frequently that physicians, doctors, people who are caring for patients, really rise to the top when we’re thinking about those who are most trustworthy on vaccines,” Gillian SteelFisher, deputy director of the Harvard Opinion Research Program, said Tuesday in an online forum.
Doctors have “the magic ingredients” in helping to build vaccine acceptance, according to SteelFisher, even as attitudes towards the shots continue to improve.
According to a recent Pew Research analysis of more than 10,000 Americans, 69% of people intend to get a vaccine or already have, up from 60% who said they planned to get vaccinated in November.
By comparison, about 15% of people said they definitely would not get a vaccine, compared to 18% in November.
SteelFisher, who did not speak about the Pew Research survey, said two drivers of vaccine hesitancy are safety concerns and distrust in pharmaceutical companies, the media and government agencies who regulate safety.
“Facts by themselves really don’t go the mile,” SteelFisher said, again highlighting the need for trustworthy physicians to help reassure patients.
Politics aren’t helping either, as people worry about vaccination as political gain rather than community good, according to SteelFisher.
“We don’t want someone’s political affiliation to determine whether or not they get a vaccine that is going to be lifesaving and protecting our communities,” SteelFisher said.
According to the Pew Research analysis, 83% of Democrats say they plan to get or have already receive a vaccine compared to just 56% of
Republicans, a gap that has widened since last year.
Overall, officials need to make clear the benefits of vaccination, which can serve as great motivation for people who may still be deciding on whether to get a shot, SteelFisher said.