"Uneducated and Selfish?…COVID-19 Vaccine Distrust Blamed on Government, Not Individuals" [Reading Science]

Voices for Personal Responsibility Rise After Pandemic
Actual Cases Show Greater Government Responsibility
More Efforts Needed to Improve Trust, Satisfaction, and Convenience

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] As breakthrough infections and side effects of COVID-19 vaccines have occurred worldwide, vaccine distrust is intensifying. However, it is pointed out that instead of blaming individuals who have vaccine hesitancy, governments should strive to improve the trustworthiness, satisfaction, and convenience of vaccines.

According to the international academic journal 'Nature' on the 23rd, since the start of COVID-19 vaccination after the pandemic, governments, parliaments, media, and even researchers around the world have cited individuals' 'vaccine hesitancy' as the reason for low vaccination rates despite abundant supply.

It is said that individuals who are misled by fake news, have low education levels, or are selfish are leading vaccine hesitancy and lowering vaccination rates. In fact, a search on the international academic paper site 'Web of Science' shows that the proportion of vaccine-related papers mentioning vaccine hesitancy increased sharply from 3.3% in 2019 to 8.3% last year. Also, among about 2,600 papers on vaccine hesitancy published since 2014, most studies pointed to individuals' education level, income, socioeconomic origin/background, political beliefs, and the spread of fake news on social media as the main causes of vaccine hesitancy.

However, analyzing actual cases, Nature's analysis shows that this 'individual responsibility theory' does not match reality. For example, Chile was surveyed as the country with the highest vaccine hesitancy in South America before COVID-19 vaccines were distributed. However, currently, 89% of Chile's entire population has completed vaccination, recording a high vaccination rate globally. There are cases even before the pandemic. Australia introduced a program in 1997 to provide financial support to parents and doctors to improve children's immunity, and after that, the children's vaccination rate jumped 10 percentage points from 84% to 94% in three years. Sweden experienced a similar situation. In 2013, when investigating why the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination rate among children was low, it was found that parents were worried about vaccine risks, but vaccination staff were not prepared to address these concerns. In response, Swedish health authorities took measures such as appointing ambassadors, distributing educational videos, and training staff, which led to an increase in vaccination rates.

In Australia, the vaccination rate among Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander peoples was 7-26% lower than other races and regions. The Australian government blamed this on 'individuals' choice due to concerns about side effects,' but it has been criticized for overlooking issues such as not providing accessibility like vaccination without appointments and delays in vaccine release and supply.

In the United States, the vaccination rate among Black people was about 14 percentage points lower than that of White people for about five months after the vaccine was released early last year. Many media outlets cited vaccine hesitancy among Black people as the reason, but within the Black community, other factors are mentioned. First, U.S. health authorities conducted vaccinations focusing on vulnerable age groups regardless of race, but this approach was not suitable for Black and Hispanic populations, who have vulnerable individuals across all age groups. The average age of Black people is much younger than that of White people. Despite the risk, they had to wait until older individuals of other races were vaccinated. It is also pointed out that vaccination facilities in Black residential areas are fewer than in White areas, and Black people have less access to reservation means such as computers and smartphones.

There are also opposite cases. In Italy and France, childhood infectious disease vaccinations were made mandatory in 2017-2018 because the mandatory vaccination rate had fallen below 85% due to decades of political non-cooperation, conflicts, and budget shortages.

These cases are interpreted as evidence that governments should not blame individuals but make more active efforts to increase vaccination rates. That is, free vaccination, providing incentives during vaccination, improving accessibility through home visits or temporary vaccination sites, and active and consistent promotional activities to improve public awareness are necessary. Scientists also need to help analyze the correlation between government policies and public vaccine acceptance to establish more detailed measures.

The World Health Organization (WHO) also analyzed in a 2014 report that three factors influence people's vaccine hesitancy: trust, satisfaction, and convenience. It is necessary to provide trust in the vaccine's effectiveness, safety, and delivery system. Satisfaction that the pain experienced from vaccination is lower than the risk of the disease is also needed. Other barriers to vaccination, such as price and geographic accessibility, must be lowered.

Nature pointed out, "Barriers to vaccination should be removed to make vaccination easy, and consistent and trustworthy promotional messages should be delivered to instill belief in the vaccine's safety, effectiveness, and supply capacity," warning that "otherwise, catastrophic results may occur."