Vaccine-hesitant, vaccine refusers and anti-vaxxers: There's a spectrum, and the differences matter

[marmar]

(Salon) Each day millions of people are getting their COVID-19 vaccines. More than 40 percent of Americans have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and more than 25 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. Despite this progress, public officials are concerned that the country is on the precipice of a new challenge — one in which supply of the vaccine will outweigh demand for it.

Mass vaccination sites, according to The New York Times, are already closing due to a decline in demand for the vaccine. An estimated 1 in 5 American adults remain unwilling to get vaccinated, according to the Monmouth University Poll, prompting fears that vaccine hesitancy could keep the country from reaching herd immunity and truly getting the pandemic under control.

But does that mean that all the people who say that they won't get the vaccine are "anti-vaxxers"? Not necessarily. And experts who study vaccine hesitancy and anti-vaccine organizations are sounding the alarm that there's an important distinction between someone who's "vaccine hesitant," a "vaccine refuser" or an "anti-vaxxer," especially during this critical phase of the pandemic. Lumping everyone together in the "anti-vaccine" category might deter those who are skeptics and hesitant, as opposed to those who might actually have an anti-vaccine agenda, hampering campaign efforts to get skeptics vaccinated altogether.

"Some figures have a tendency to call people that they disagree with anti-vaxxers, which is kind of unfortunate," David Broniatowski, an associate professor in the Department of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering at George Washington University, told Salon. "And it creates an environment in which you can't really have the conversations with vaccine hesitant people that you need to have in order to actually change their minds." ................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2021/04/24/vaccine-hesitant-vaccine-refusers-and-anti-vaxxers-theres-a-spectrum-and-the-differences-matter/

[abqtommy]

1. Let's just Lock. Them. All. Up. and sort them out much later...

[wackadoo wabbit]

3. Do you realize that there are ingredients in the vaccines that some people are allergic to?

For example, I'm allergic to PEG. I went ahead and got the first vaccine dose anyway.

And I had a very bad reaction, bad enough that the pharmacist told me that I absolutely should not get the second dose.

That was more than three weeks ago, and I'm still suffering some effects from that first dose. In retrospect, I wish I hadn't gotten it.

Would you have me locked up?

Fortunately, my reaction did not include anaphylaxis. But that is a problem for others. If they don't get the vaccine so as not to suffer anaphylaxis, should they be locked up, too?

[abqtommy]

4. Given your example I doubt that I'd have you or anyone else who truly has a medical

problem with The Vaccine locked up. Unless there are other valid reasons why you should
be locked up. My thoughts have been with my youngest son who is a rabid former guy cultist and has said he won't get the vaccine and many others who complain about the
vaccine infringement of their Freedumb. You don't mind if we lock them up, do you?

[modrepub]

5. Those Like You Shouldn't

But because there are going to be pockets of folks across the country who won't we won't reach heard immunity. The virus will keep propagating and probably mutating (hopefully into a less virulent strain).

That's the problem. Not everyone needs to get the vaccine, just a large enough majority that the virus can't continue to propagate itself allowing it to naturally petter out.

What might actually work is publicizing how many Fox news hosts, Tump family members and other high ranking Republicans actually get their shot. Nothing like trying to shame the deniers and the propagators of untruths as the charlatans they truly are.

[SheltieLover]

2. FEMA Mass Vax Site in Memphis is getting ready to shut down weeks early

They were even offering $20 gift cards to Kroger or Walmart, still not much response.