Covid-19 vaccine: people are trying to convince their families to be vaccinated

Scott Carlson makes a point of calling his elderly parents every week. Each time, he asks if he can make an appointment for vaccination against coronavirus and, each time, the answer is no. The reason varies from week to week: they fear allergic reactions or say they are too old to need the vaccine.

His parents, who are in their 80s, live in apartments for the elderly in rural Wisconsin, an hour from Milwaukee, where Carlson lives. Six people contracted Covid-19 in their building and three died from it.

“I feel that my mother thinks she is invulnerable, while she feels that my father is not. They know it can be serious, but they have an arrogant attitude towards it, ”Carlson told me. “I think that because people die of old age in their buildings in a given year, since they never [personally] I met someone who had Covid, they don’t see the problem. As much as Carlson worries, he has tried to remain persistent and “proactive in dialogue”, even offering to take them to the vaccination site. So far, they have continued to decline.

From health professionals to military and older adults like Carlson’s parents, about 20 percent of American adults do not intend to receive the Covid-19 vaccine and are “sure” that more information will not change their minds, according to with a December Survey from the Pew Research Center. The survey found that, in general, people have become more confident in the process of developing the vaccine, but Americans’ opinions about its safety and effectiveness still vary.

Adults like Carlson, who are not high on the priority list, are anxious for family members eligible for an injection, as new variants of Covid-19 are discovered and infections increase in most states. These refusals, then, can be frustrating and emotional. Many people have postponed seeing their family for months as a precaution for their health and now feel helpless with the reluctance of their loved ones to be vaccinated.

Some note that their families have not previously expressed anti-vaccination feelings and fear that this newfound hesitation may be the result of misinformation – on social media and on right-wing news sites, or those within their family’s social circles. Although Facebook, Twitter and Google have enacted policies to remove incorrect information related to the coronavirus, media researchers say that personal opinions and beliefs about a vaccine are more difficult to navigate.

“Platforms cannot control people’s opinions,” researcher Darren Linvill told the Washington Post. “They can’t stop someone from saying, ‘I’m not going to get the vaccine because I don’t think it’s safe. And it is these thoughts and opinions that have as much effect on online communities as real news or misinformation. “

During his youth, Carlson remembers his parents as very health-conscious people, who received annual flu shots and fully vaccinated his brother and him. “They have not been skeptical about vaccines in general,” he said. “They are not on social media, but they watch Fox News and can be influenced by other residents of the building.” His parents live in a rural, conservative city, he said, and some of his neighbors disdain wearing masks.

Vaccine hesitation occurs for a number of reasons, and researchers have found that these attitudes are not uniform and do not necessarily extend to all vaccines; the novelty of the Covid-19 vaccine and its rapid development process, for example, are worrisome for some. It is important to note, however, that these vaccines were manufactured under strong scientific scrutiny and tested in clinical trials before distribution to the public. Existing data confirm that available vaccines are effective in protecting the recipient from the most severe results of Covid-19 and that the extreme side effects of the injection are exceptionally rare. Scientists say it is crucial that eligible people be inoculated, since every vaccination brings the United States closer to collective immunity.

In September, Brian Resnick of Vox reported that women express greater hesitation about a vaccine, as do political conservatives and people living in rural areas. Of particular concern to scientists is the hesitation and access to the vaccine in black communities, which have already been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Vaccination hesitation – and total refusal – is reflected in issues of health equity, according to public health experts. Racial disparities in medical access and treatment and ineffective public communication can affect people’s confidence in the health system. Older adults without digitally skilled caregivers are being left behind in the vaccine launch, as are those without access to private transportation methods.

The lack of existing vaccination data is also of concern to researchers, USA Today reported. Only 16 states are reporting vaccination counts by race and ethnicity, and without widespread data disaggregation, it is difficult to measure how minority, rural and low-income communities are being affected. “The challenge,” wrote Resnick for Vox, “is that each of these communities may require a different strategy, have different underlying anxieties and fears, and require slightly different intervention to allay their fears.”

Nichole, a resident of Columbus, Ohio, who asked that her surname not be published to protect her privacy, felt isolated in her quest to convince her conservative family in Florida to accept the vaccine. They are Puerto Ricans and have always been suspicious of the United States government, she told me. Many live as if the pandemic is over. Despite Covid-19’s family scare, which prompted Nichole’s grandmother to be hospitalized for a brief period, most members are still adamant when it comes to refusing the vaccine and remaining skeptical about it.

“I was shocked to hear my father say that the vaccine can make us sick or kill us,” said Nichole. “My parents are people who work regularly and focus on their jobs and making sure they are financially well. My dad doesn’t like politics very much and he rarely watches the news, so it’s possible that he’s just listening to whatever advertising the rest of the family is feeding him. “

Nichole often speaks on the phone to his father, who is a truck driver, but fears that the weekly conversations are only consolidating his refusal. “He also doesn’t want my stepmother to accept and he refuses to listen to reason,” she said.

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High-profile political figures, including President Joe Biden, Dr. Anthony Fauci, then Vice President Mike Pence and former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, broadcast their vaccines on television to encourage confidence in the process. However, experts do not believe that celebrities and influential people can significantly influence public opinion about the vaccine, Stat News reported. Pop culture is more fragmented and few beloved influencers have an almost universal appeal.

Research has shown that Americans are more likely to trust information from sources they are familiar with – friends, family and other members of the community. Still, Nichole acknowledges that his father lives in a social echo chamber. And while individuals like her feel they have a duty to inform their loved ones, if they are embarking on this task alone, the evidence suggests that it is unlikely that their efforts alone can change minds.

“I am the black sheep when it comes to my policy,” said Angela, a Los Angeles woman who asked that her surname not be published out of concern for her family’s privacy. “It’s hard to be on a page so far to the left of them, but I still try to check them daily. I ask them every day if they are feeling well. “

Angela’s older parents and her younger sister live across the country on Staten Island. While she flew home for the holidays, the family instituted a political conversation over Christmas, so the discussion about the vaccine was put off for later. All three members of her family are eligible for the first dose, but Angela said they were “very outspoken in saying no”.

“When I tried to talk about the vaccine in person, the subject changed quickly and my parents said they would rather not discuss it,” said Angela. “If we talk about it over the phone, I try to explain in a light way how [what they’ve heard about the vaccine] it just isn’t true, and that we’ve always been vaccinated for everything. … But that has been the struggle for the past four years, pandemic aside. “

While the Trump administration tried to take credit for the rapid production of the vaccine (then White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany even referred to it as the “Trump vaccine”), some Trumpworld allies have made misleading claims about how the vaccine will be distributed hard. The former president also did not want to promote him. And this imprecision only fuels skepticism and conspiratorial thinking supported by its base, which shares the caution of figures of authority and the great government.

Where individual efforts may fail, local and state health officials may have to intervene to combat misinformation and build trust. In Camden, New Jersey, a city whose residents are mostly black and Hispanic, the health department has embarked on a municipal effort to persuade people to get the vaccine.

“We know it’s better to deal with communities when you’re there with them,” said Camden County Health Director Paschal Nwako, Fabiola Cineas of Vox. “If we go door to door, it means that we are in the community and that we are relating to them right there on the street, in front of their houses. And then we stay with them. ”

Nichole hopes that some relatives will change their minds over time. “Maybe the threat of me not seeing them face to face can get the ball rolling,” she said. “Unless there is a big effort to combat this misinformation, from politicians and grassroots organizations, I don’t think people’s opinion will change. We can’t just leave it to the celebrities. We need more people in the community explaining to those who are skeptical and have doubts. “