Opinion: The next challenge will be persuading people to get vaccinated
The world is soon likely to confront a serious new challenge to the fight against COVID-19: vaccine hesitancy.In the US and UK, large numbers of people – at least 30 per cent – have said in recent surveys that they would hesitate to take or refuse a vaccine that could protect them from the coronavirus and slow its spread. These numbers probably understate the problem. People might tell a researcher that they will get vaccinated even if they won't.
The third factor is confidence: public trust in the efficacy and safety of the vaccine, and also in the motivations and competence of those who are behind it. Many people distrust vaccines in general. Many others distrust particular vaccines, or new ones, which they might perceive to be inadequately tested. In extreme form, distrust turns people into anti-vax activists.
For poor people, a lack of convenience might loom large. Among young people, the main problem might be complacency. For people who distrust authority and science, and who think that experts have no idea what they are doing, the problem is a lack of confidence.Convenience might turn out to be the easiest problem to solve. Once a safe and effective vaccine is available, it should be a high priority to ensure that it is easy for everyone to get .
The good news is that it's possible to debunk misinformation, above all by emphasising facts, and not drawing a lot of attention to falsehoods .
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