LWL | How did the COVID pandemic affect vaccine reluctancy?
Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, is regarded as a deadly time period for the world. “COVID-19 is an autoimmune virus that spreads from tiny droplets of particles that contain the virus(WHO).” These droplets and particles can enter the body through eyes, nose, or mouth. It is also likely to contract COVID through contaminated surfaces. Once an individual contracts COVID-19, they can experience a plethora of symptoms such as a fever, chills, a cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, fatigue, and/or muscle or body aches. There have even been reported cases where individuals have lost their sense of taste and smell.
COVID-19 began in China, and it quickly began spreading all over the world, with cases increasing by the minute. In America, schools and businesses were shut down, and many Americans were told to stay home and stay in quarantine. “However, even with these drastic measures in place, 108 million Americans still contracted COVID-19, and 1 million Amercians died due to it(Worldometer).” Therefore, scientists knew they had to quickly start developing vaccines to allow citizens to resume their normal lives. “However, once these vaccines were created, a staggering 33% of Americans decided against receiving the vaccine(Mullen O'keefe).” This small decision further prolonged the pandemic and increased the death toll. American citizens did not want to take the vaccine because it was created too quickly, the side effects, and lack of access.
There were two main vaccines created for COVID: Pfizer and Moderna. “The FDA approved the Pfizer vaccine just 13 months after the start of the pandemic(Leggett).” Due to this fast paced timeline, many Amercians did not feel confident and comfortable in taking the vaccine. Many felt that it needed more testing before it was put out in the market. However, COVID-19 was being experimented with for years. An article written in September 2021 on
AARP.org states. “The virus that causes COVID-19 is related to other coronaviruses that have been under the microscope for years, including those that cause severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The technology that was used in the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been undergoing testing for almost a decade. Therefore, scientists and the FDA were able to quickly get the vaccine out for citizens; even though it seemed like it had only been one year into production. Over two years of it being out on the market, scientists now are certain that it helps save lives and prevent hospitalizations.
Furthermore, throughout the pandemic, many citizens started creating conspiracy theories. These theories were then spread all over the internet using platforms like Facebook and TikTok. Since everyone was at home and quarantining during this time, people believed an internet deep dive would make them experts in the field. Some of these conspiracy theories include, “The government is poisoning us with artificial materials”(Ullah) or that, “The vaccine causes infertility”(Oliver). However, there has been no scientific evidence to support these claims. “The side effects have been normal, as they would have been with any other vaccine: a sore arm for a few days and fatigue. “Anything you hear or read to the contrary is absolutely unfounded” (Oliver).
Lastly, the vaccine was not readily available in every part of America. The vaccine access has increased more now than ever before. “This is because the federal government is now ordering and delivering far more doses than states actually use(Leggett).COVID-19 shots and boosters are so abundant that walk-ins at pharmacies and grocery stores are available(Leggett).” However, there are still many problems to overcome before America is able to fully make vaccine access available. For example, some citizens may not be able to find the means necessary to travel to a pharmacy due to lower income, family needs, and no job flexibility. Due
to these restrictions, some citizens can not take off in the days recovering after the vaccine. “Access doesn’t just mean we’ve opened up eligibility to everyone” (Hamel). However, researchers and directors are coming up with solutions to make the vaccine more accessible for everyone.
Since citizens were less prone to take the vaccine, it caused a major negative impact on the health of America. This has been the case in a different disease outbreak, measles. In many states, they are seeing the rise of measles outbreaks due to the fact that people are not becoming vaccinated(The USA Today). This is a large problem, as it shows that an already cured disease is coming back to affect the health of our country. Furthermore, measles is so contagious that 90 percent of unvaccinated people exposed will get the virus(The USA Today). It can also stay airborne and spread through the body quickly(The USA Today). Therefore, even if people are not getting vaccinated, it is still a highly contagious disease that is dangerous to all immune systems. It is necessary that everyone becomes vaccinated against all diseases to protect the well-being of our country.
“Similarly in the 300 million people that have contracted COVID-19 in America, 61 million of those citizens were not vaccinated(US Census Bureau).” The largest sustained decline in childhood vaccinations in approximately 30 years has been recorded in official data published today by WHO and UNICEF(USA Today).” “Even though DTP and TDAP shots are routine and done every year by millions of families, a staggering 25 million children missed out on one or more doses of DTP through routine immunization services in 2021 alone. This is 2 million more than those who missed out in 2020 and 6 million more than in 2019. This demonstrates the large impact that COVID had on vaccine reluctance(WHO).” There is a large number of children at risk from devastating but preventable diseases. This decline was due to many factors including
children living in areas where there is less vaccine access, conspiracy theories, and the timeline at which the COVID vaccine was created. “This is a red alert for child health. We are witnessing the largest sustained drop in childhood immunization in a generation. The consequences will be measured in lives,” said Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director. “While a pandemic hangover was expected last year as a result of COVID-19 disruptions and lockdowns, what we are seeing now is a continued decline. COVID-19 is not an excuse.” If this does not occur, more children will become sick and hurt our healthcare system. For example, not enough beds and resources in hospitals. This is important to keep millions of children and families safe, happy, and healthy. Otherwise, our country will take a turn for the worse.
“Many countries now face declining immunization rates as a result of anti-vaccine activists. In the case of the USA, an anti-vaccine movement that began with false assertions linking vaccines to autism accelerated roughly a decade ago in Texas. At present, many elected leaders in the US House of Representatives actively promote this health freedom anti-vaccine agenda, as do several US senators, sitting governors and federal judges(Benoit).” Even political leaders are saying no to vaccines. This in turn influences their followers and other citizens that are not extremely confident about the vaccines.
“Anti-vaccine videos, memes, and articles, circulate widely. Additional surveys find that large numbers of citizens distrust the safety or effectiveness of vaccines. The African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports disproportionately high vaccine hesitancy among those who receive their information through social media, as they believe unsupported facts and options, over scientific knowledge(CDC).” There is a large impact of the American COVID-19 anti-vaccine activism. It has affected other country’s opinions, knowledge about different
diseases, and opinions on vaccines. This is a major problem, as many resolved outbreaks can come back and start again.
Due to the vaccine reluctancy of the COVID-19 pandemic, many citizens of America are reluctant to take any vaccines necessary for survival. The pandemic moved our country backward in terms of anti-vaccine activism, as less and less people are taking vaccines. In order to protect the health of our loved country, we need to focus on increasing the number of people open to taking the vaccine. We need to protect our country for us and future generations. We owe it to them to move forward, and not backward.
SOURCES
Benoit, Staci L, and Rachel F. Mauldin. “The “Anti-Vax” Movement: A Quantitative Report on Vaccine Beliefs and Knowledge across Social Media.” BMC Public Health, vol. 21, no. 1, 17 Nov. 2021,
bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-021-12114-8, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-12114-8.
CDC. “Vaccines and Immunizations.” Cdc.gov, 2019, www.cdc.gov/vaccines/.
US Census Bureau. “Household Pulse Survey Shows Many Don’t Trust COVID Vaccine, Worry about Side Effects.” Census.gov, 28 Dec. 2021,
www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/12/who-are-the-adults-not-vaccinated-against-covid .html.
Worldometer. “United States Coronavirus.” Www.worldometers.info, 2021, www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/.
Ransing, Ramdas, et al. “COVID-19 Anti-Vaccine Movement and Mental Health: Challenges and the Way Forward.” Asian Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 58, Apr. 2021, p. 102614, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2021.102614.
Leggett, Page. “7 Reasons People Don’t Get Vaccinated against COVID-19.” Novant Health | Healthy Headlines, 13 Jan. 2022,
www.novanthealth.org/healthy-headlines/7-reasons-people-dont-get-vaccinated-against-c ovid-19.
FDA. “FDA Approves First COVID-19 Vaccine.” FDA, 23 Aug. 2021,
www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-covid-19-vaccine. “In Focus: Sustainable Development Goal 5.” UN Women – Headquarters, 23 Aug. 2022, www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/in-focus/2022/08/in-focus-sustainable-development goal-5?gclid=CjwKCAjw-KipBhBtEiwAWjgwrI4kinPeIWnPOapJhg_ImegjiKwMr-uaef MMCu84STZP_skDLZgAgBoCnWoQAvD_BwE. Accessed 14 Oct. 2023.
O’Keefe, Shannon Mullen. “One in Three Americans Would Not Get COVID-19 Vaccine.” Gallup.Com, Gallup, 29 Nov. 2022,
news.gallup.com/poll/317018/one-three-americans-not-covid-vaccine.aspx. Accessed 15 Oct. 2023.
WHO. “Modes of Transmission of Virus Causing COVID-19: Implications for IPC Precaution Recommendations.” Www.who.int, 29 Mar. 2020,
www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/modes-of-transmission-of-virus-causing-c ovid-19-implications-for-ipc-precaution-recommendations.
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www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/modes-of-transmission-of-virus-causing-c ovid-19-implications-for-ipc-precaution-recommendations.
