I found this Wall Street Journal op-ed by Robert M. Kaplan perversely gratifying:
The idea that recent, deliberate misinformation campaigns created hesitancy to the Covid-19 vaccine appears itself to be misinformation.
Over the past year the Stanford Clinical Excellence Research Center has asked representative samples of the U.S. population about the likelihood they would accept vaccines. A poll completed in August 2020 showed that about 20% of the population reported they were very unlikely to take a vaccine even if the evidence suggested it was safe and effective. Another 15% said they were unlikely to take it. Those two categories add up to approximately the percentage of adults yet to get a first dose a year later.
Without even knowing there would be a vaccine, more than a third of the population told us they were not planning to accept it.
The study was repeated in late December 2020 after highly impressive results from clinical trials led the Food and Drug Administration to give emergency-use authorization for two vaccines. News cycles prior to our December survey were dominated by stories on the potential for vaccines. Still, about 35% said they were unlikely or very unlikely to take the vaccine. The numbers are almost identical to those seen in August when vaccine potential had not received public scrutiny.
In politics, voters choose their loyalties early. After they do, expensive and exhausting campaigns affect few voters. Vaccine acceptance may similarly be determined by the groups we align with rather than evidence—or false information—about the vaccine itself.
It’s a lot easier to sow distrust than it is to cultivate trust. That takes consistency and a commitment to the long haul.
Pro tip: if you’re trying to convince people to do something, brow-beating them or trying to force them may have the opposite effect from what you’re trying to accomplish. As me auld mither use to say you’ll catch more flies with sugar than with vinegar.
The campaign to achieve universal vaccination has been done through coercion, bribery, character assassination of those not wanting to be vaccinated, confusing data, and uninformed consent. People, left and right, are losing their jobs if they object to be vaccinated. Civil rights are being gutted if you object to be injected. I continue to be discouraged, if not outright shocked, everyday, at how fast we are turning into the type of society we used to rail against.
It’s just not right….!
I haven’t commented on the recent government actions vis a vis Covid.
What I think needed from the administration is a concrete goal that it is trying to achieve. They need to resolve the question, is the US trying to go “zero Covid” as Francis Collins desires, or is the goal containment, or is the goal to prevent the medical system from being overloaded?
With a clear goal then you can justify which tools to utilize to meet the goal.
For example. vaccine mandates can’t reach zero covid. Israel has data showing mRNA vaccines effectiveness decays after 6 months to 40% against infection. 40% is too low with delta’s infectiousness to control virus spread.
On the other hand, 98% of deaths occur in the > 40 group; and vaccine protection against death seems to last longer. Getting close to 100% of > 40 age group vaccinated seems reasonable to protect the medical system.
Exactly. On the other hand vagueness in goals grants the greatest discretion to elected officials.
I doubt that vaccine mandates by government at any level will be legally enforceable until the vaccine is fully approved by the FDA.
“On the other hand vagueness in goals grants the greatest discretion to elected officials.”
Or unelected officials. Which shouldn’t be presented antiseptically as an academic point. Its the core of the problem. See: CDC.
Given mutations, which exist always and everywhere, this has a course to run. But the trend is indisputably down. And I note that the original apocalyptic predictions of an overwhelmed health care system never materialized. Its only three data points, but two nieces and a friend, all nurses, (one in S Florida, one in Wash DC, one in the western suburbs of Chicago) report Delta patients, but not nearly the wave like original covid. This disease is not being managed scientifically, its being managed politically. People lives and livelihoods are at stake. A pox on the politicians.