The psychology behind vaccine hesitancy

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine made waves last week when he said during a press conference that 60% of staff in the state's nursing homes were choosing not to receive COVID-19 vaccines. While the state Department of Health has since said it is not tracking the number of those who are offered a vaccine and don't take it, DeWine's anecdotal figures sparked conversation about why some who work in the highest-incidence settings for virus transmission would choose not to get one. While some people are reluctant to take any vaccine, Tara Smith, Ph.D., professor at the College of Public Health at Kent State University, said the hesitancy looks a little different this time around. It is new technology, which adds to people's fears. Confusion within the general public over who will get vaccinated when has led some professionals to criticize the vaccination rollout as "messy." "We could have been much more prepared for this, I think. … There's a lot of logistics," said Steven Martin, dean of the College of Pharmacy at Ohio Northern University. Vaccine hesitancy Some people may worry about long-term effects of the vaccine. But with vaccines in general, most serious effects will happen within the first two weeks, Smith said. There have been some reports of people experiencing severe allergic reactions to this vaccine, but Martin pointed out that this has not been widespread. And Smith said the people who experienced allergic reactions were easily treated. Another common concern is that the vaccine development was rushed. Smith explained the vaccine underwent three different stages of clinical trials, but scientists were able to do it more quickly than usual. She said a typical obstacle to doing this so quickly is that it's hard for researchers to get funding for this work. In this case, though, funding was more readily available. And Martin pointed out that, while the development of this particular vaccine happened quickly, scientists have been making vaccines, in general, for a long time and know how to do it. Martin said he was disturbed to read of the American pharmacist who had destroyed hundreds of doses of the vaccine because he thought it would alter people's DNA. "It does not do that," he said. He said this is one thing ONU pharmacy leaders are addressing in their education surrounding the virus. "We have seen a tremendous amount of misinformation," Martin said, adding he believes the university's role in the community includes helping people to be better informed. In general, "scientists are not trained to communicate well," Martin said. He said a challenge is that, as scientists continue to ask questions, their knowledge of what is true changes. And often "people want one, consistent, black-and-white message," which may not be possible. Smith said an important part of the rollout of the vaccine is communication about it, including persuading people to take it and answering their questions. "I think we're failing there," she said. A 'messy' vaccine rollout Generally the vaccine rollout has been "messy," Smith said. There is a lot of confusion about who will get the shots when. Martin added that, to become fully immunized, a person must receive two shots. He is concerned about the logistical challenge of following up with everyone to make sure they come back for their second dose. "A vaccine is the way we're going to get out of this pandemic," Smith said. Once enough people get vaccinated, life can return to some semblance of normal. "Normal" may look different, not "the same normal as we had before," Smith said, but people will feel safer doing things like going out to restaurants again, for example. With high case numbers, Smith said the immediate future of the pandemic looks "pretty bleak" throughout January. As to how bad things are likely to be in February and onward, Smith said it will depend on how many people get vaccinated. In an article for self.com in December, Smith addressed people for whom the vaccine hasn't yet been tested, including those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, as well as children. She told The Courier that many pregnant women are indeed getting vaccinated. It is thought that the shot might pass on some immunity to the developing fetus — or to an infant through breastmilk — but more research is needed. Generally, Smith said, the vaccine is considered much less risky than getting the virus would be. She said the Pfizer vaccine is already authorized for teens 16 and older. Data on adolescents 12 and older may be available in a few months, she said. Smith said the development of this vaccine may pave the way for creating other vaccines in a similar manner. If we could use mRNA technology to create a better flu vaccine, rather than growing flu virus in egg or cell cultures, it could make the flu vaccine more effective, she said. Martin said scientists began exploring this technology to address other viruses, including Ebola and Zika. He, too, said this work will help in the future. Malaria, for example, kills hundreds of thousands of people worldwide each year, and if an effective vaccine could be developed it could save a lot of lives, he said. Arthurs: 419-427-8494 saraarthurs@thecourier.com