Combating vaccine hesitancy  

Context:

• COVID-19 vaccines are the most awaited products of 2021. But though mass vaccination drives have begun, the response has been lukewarm despite the availability, affordability, and accessibility of the jabs to healthcare, sanitation, and frontline workers.
• An adequate supply of vaccines is in place at least for the first phase, but procurement is just half the battle won — the trickier part is to persuade the population to roll up their sleeves for the two jabs.
• Social media has seen a rising number of self-proclaimed experts who have been decoding the ingredients and efficacy of the vaccines through unsubstantiated claims.

Refusal to vaccinate:

• According to the World Health Organization, vaccine hesitancy is defined as a reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccine services.
• Like Western nations, vaccine hesitancy has been a cause of concern in the past in India as well.
• For instance, P. witnessed a sudden dip in the uptake of oral polio vaccines when the Muslim community was struck by misconceptions that the vaccine led to illness and infertility.
• In times of uncertainty, people are particularly susceptible to misinformation due to an intricate combination of cognitive, social and algorithmic biasese., information overload and limited attention spans.
• The debates around hesitancy for COVID-19 vaccines include concerns over safety, efficacy, and side effects due to the record-breaking timelines of the vaccines, competition among several companies, misinformation, and religious taboos.
• People can choose to not be inoculated, but to break the chain of transmission, it is imperative to have the right strategy in place.
• Hence, it is suggested that we adopt the idea of libertarian paternalism, a concept of behavioural science, which says it is possible and legitimate to steer people’s behaviour towards vaccination while still respecting their freedom of choice.

The way forward:

• Instead of anti-vaxxers, the target audience must be the swing populatione., people who are sceptical but can be persuaded through scientific facts and proper communication.
• The second measure is to pause before you share any ‘news’ from social media. It becomes crucial to inculcate the habit of inquisitive temper to fact-check any news related to COVID-19 vaccines.
• The third measure is to use the celebrity effect — the ability of prominent personalities to influence others to take vaccines. Studies suggest that celebrities can serve as agents of positive social change, erasing scepticism associated with vaccine adoption and prompting information-seeking and preventative behaviours.
• We can start with politicians and government officials who are next in line for vaccination. Celebrities can add glamour and an element of credibility to mass vaccinations both on the ground and on social media.
• The infodemic around vaccines can be tackled only by actively debunking myths, misinformation and fake news on COVID-19 vaccines.

https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/combating-vaccine-hesitancy/article33855585.ece