Government fighting vaccine hesitancy
“I am not willing to take the covid- 19 vaccine at this time because it has not been tested, tried and proven to be helpful to anyone nor does it prevent you for getting the virus or getting sick/ there is not enough information on it, and I do not believe I should be forced to take it,” says a Seventh Day Adventist when asked about her unwillingness to take the COVID-19 vaccine. She is among the many Jamaicans who have expressed their reluctance or apprehension in regard to getting the jab, especially through social media.
Chairman of Jamaica’s Southern Regional Health Authority, Dr Wayne Chen says that there is a noticeable vaccine hesitancy within the region. “We have realized that the rate of vaccine take-up has been much lower than we would like.” Presently only eight percent of the target population is vaccinated.
Anti-vaccination is not a new concept to our society, people have been opposed to vaccinations for as long as they have existed. Refusing vaccinations began in the early 1800s, when the smallpox vaccine became widely available.
Vaccine hesitancy stems from several factors. Some people refuse to get vaccinated because of religious views, even though most prominent religions do not oppose vaccinations. It is assumed that a vaccination would not provide protection. The side effects of the vaccine are also a concern for some. “There are a large portion of people in the world who have doubts about what would happen six months later,” says Dr Iman Blak aka Don-D.
Many people believe that pharmaceutical corporations cannot be trusted. They feel that pharmaceutical corporations are primarily interested in selling their medications, regardless of the consequences for the individuals who use them. This a notable concern for Terrence Lindo “There is no money in free healthcare”.
With all these concerns in play what is government doing to dispel the level of fear and anxiety among the population?
Clyde McKenzie advises the government to utilize targeted measures in approaching the vaccine hesitant. “Vaxxers and anti Vaxxers should not be treated in the same way. The approach from the government should be targeted. I think the government has to pursue a policy, one of a differential access, where those who comply should be incentivized to encourage persons who are not yet vaccinated,” he says.
Dr Wayne Chen says that the government has been and will be doing a lot in easing the anxiety of persons “We’ll be sharing information using peers and persons in respected groups”. These strategies include making the vaccine(s) available at areas heavily trafficked in each parish, and accessible to persons in smaller towns, providing information through healthcare workers and facilities to vaccine promotion, and are noticeable efforts being made by the government. The concern for the government now lies where propaganda and false information is being circulated on social media.
“There is a lot of anti-vaccine propaganda, mostly on the internet and social media continuing to spark a level of hesitancy within persons lessening the chance of herd immunity and the country returning to some level of normalcy,” states Dr Wayne Chen,
