‘Building trust and providing information can mitigate the obstacles that hinder its acceptance’
Photo: Patrick Semansky / POOL / EFE
By: Dr. Daniel Turner-Lloveras
Sunday, December 22
The biggest obstacle against COVID: doubts to accept the vaccine
Every 6 seconds a new case of COVID is reported – 19 in California. Two or more lives are lost every minute. Deaths are close to 400, 000, leaving millions heartbroken at the Losing loved ones and uncertainty about long-term health and economic consequences.
African American, Indigenous and Latino communities continue to suffer from a COVID pandemic – 19 relentless that has increased inequalities. The Silver Bullet: Vaccines. However, vaccinating a large part of the population is what saves lives, not vaccines alone. At the rate we are going, Los Angeles will distribute the vaccines in more than 5 years. The biggest obstacle: Doubts to accept the vaccine. How we act in the following weeks will make a difference between life and death.
While ambulances wait hours to drop patients off at hospitals, between 19 – 40% of health workers who had priority for COVID vaccine – 14, they are rejecting it. This skepticism feeds on social media and is paralyzing efforts to distribute the vaccine.
However, building trust and providing information about vaccines can mitigate the obstacles that hinder their acceptance. Trusted community organizations and leaders who understand the proper means of communicating the importance of the vaccine have the potential to dispel myths. Education campaigns should prioritize the experiences of those communities. A strategic plan will amplify the voices of these leaders and increase their visibility, empowering them to educate their communities about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine. But they cannot achieve this alone.
The COVID Vaccination Campaign – 19 should address questions from the public. That is why we call for a unified national workforce with state representatives, and for building distribution mechanisms that incorporate cultural norms and address obstacles such as locations, vaccination schedules, and access to transportation. Implementing this requires understanding the differences in socioeconomic status, cultural background, and level of education. Additionally, ongoing, frequent, consistent, and visible communication will be needed that includes listening to concerns and interacting with influential leaders in the most affected communities to use and leverage their knowledge, skills, and experience.
None of this can be accomplished without obtaining more resources. To date, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has provided $ 200 million and Congress $ 2. 45 trillions. This class action requires an investment of $ 10 trillions. The value of lives saved and prevention of negative health effects will be immense. We must put in every bit of energy, funds, and relentlessness to vaccinate as many people as possible, especially in communities of color. Failure to achieve these goals means harm to everyone. It’s not too late. Many lives depend on the next step we take.
Co-authors of this editorial are: Aileen Arévalo, Andrew Rosales, Axana Rodriguez-Torres, Nicole Oparaugo, Violeta Osegueda and Walter Solorzano.
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