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Anti-Vaxxers Aren't the Only Ones Selling Vaccines Short
https://www.thedailybeast.com/anti-vaxxers-are-not-the-only-ones-selling-coronavirus-vaccines-short?source=articles&via=rss... Because of these unknowns, messaging around the vaccine has been cautious. Scientists and public health officials are loath to make statements about the effectiveness of a novel pharmaceutical product without evidence to back it up. That’s particularly true because misstatements, no matter how well intentioned, can undermine trust during a pandemic that has seen the response to public-health guidance be far too politicized.
... But there’s a downside to this cautious messaging. Lack of certainty or strong empirical evidence is often interpreted to mean that we have evidence that something is not true. This phenomenon is only exacerbated by voices from the anti-vax community and other public-health skeptics. People may hear only that we cannot say the vaccine does not prevent transmission, and not that this is merely because we are waiting for the evidence to come in, or that most experts would be shocked if it did not have at least some effect on preventing contagion.
Likewise, cautious public health advice that is meant to avoid unintentional tragedy, such as the admonition to continue to social distance and take precautions even if vaccinated, often ends up increasing skepticism about vaccination.
... Critically, even if vaccines’ effects on COVID-19 transmission are imperfect and temporary, vaccination will still lead to massive decreases in the number of cases if—and only if—there is wide uptake of vaccines in the general population. This is the surest way to get back to a place where we can all take part in the parties, dinners, and simple office cooler conversations we so crave.
... But there’s a downside to this cautious messaging. Lack of certainty or strong empirical evidence is often interpreted to mean that we have evidence that something is not true. This phenomenon is only exacerbated by voices from the anti-vax community and other public-health skeptics. People may hear only that we cannot say the vaccine does not prevent transmission, and not that this is merely because we are waiting for the evidence to come in, or that most experts would be shocked if it did not have at least some effect on preventing contagion.
Likewise, cautious public health advice that is meant to avoid unintentional tragedy, such as the admonition to continue to social distance and take precautions even if vaccinated, often ends up increasing skepticism about vaccination.
... Critically, even if vaccines’ effects on COVID-19 transmission are imperfect and temporary, vaccination will still lead to massive decreases in the number of cases if—and only if—there is wide uptake of vaccines in the general population. This is the surest way to get back to a place where we can all take part in the parties, dinners, and simple office cooler conversations we so crave.
From the response I got last time I posted about this, it may be that many here on DU aren't aware of the level of resistance to vaccination from a sizeable portion of the population. That resistance will continue to damage our country as a whole and severely slow our recovery from this crisis.
We need the strongest messaging possible regarding vaccines.
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