Year: 2021
Type: editorial
Abstract: Vaccine Hesitancy and COVID-19: Nursing's RoleVaccine hesitancy is a significant barrier to the eradication of vaccine-preventable infectious diseases.The indecision or skepticism surrounding vaccine acquisition (i.e., vaccine hesitancy, also known as "antivax") is a vexing and complex phenomenon that dates to the late 1700s when Dr. Edward Jenner developed the smallpox vaccine, one of the greatest medical advances in history (Jarret et al., 2015;McAteer et al., 2020).In the 1900s, the incidence of vaccine-preventable infections, including several potentially fatal diseases, plummeted after the introduction of an array of highly effective vaccines.However, despite extensive experience demonstrating the safety of these life-saving vaccines, a segment of the population has remained firmly opposed to their use.A number of factors have been shown to contribute to vaccine hesitancy including a belief that there is reduced safety and a potential for long-term sequelae, a perception of low risk for disease acquisition, and distinct moral values (Dror et al., 2020;McAteer et al., 2020).Ironically, the success of vaccination may have contributed to the skepticism that currently exists with regard to vaccines (McAteer et al., 2020).For infectious diseases with low incidence due to vaccination, there may be a tendency to focus attention on the potential side effects of a vaccine-rather than the potential negative impact of the disease that the vaccine prevents.Many of the "usual childhood diseases" of years past are so rarely seen, if at all, that they are considered an abstraction to much of the general public.In other words, if one has never witnessed or experienced the devastating impact of measles, for example, then one might not fully understand the importance of this vaccine's uptake.With regard to the currently available COVID-19 vaccines under emergency use authorization, skepticism and vaccine hesitancy is known to exist (McAteer et al., 2020).Experts, such as Dr. Anthony Fauci who is director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, have stated that the COVID-19 pandemic could be "crushed" through vaccination (Gordon, 2021).However, surveys have indicated that a significant number of individuals are declining the opportunity for COVID-19 vaccination.For example, in the U.S. military, one third of enlisted individuals are declining the COIVD-19 vaccine (New York Times, 2021).In another example, 39% of nurses in Israel (n ¼ 211) stated that they would not take a COVID-19 vaccine (Dror et al., 2020).The significant percentage of individuals who have declined, or who plan to decline, COVID-19 vaccination raises concern about the ability to reach herd immunity and end the COVID-19 pandemic.Nurses are in a unique position to enhance COVID-19 vaccine uptake, given their ranking as the nation's most trusted Hispanic Health Care
Author: Maithe Enriquez
Institution: Care International
Language: English
Subfield: Health
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W3160187188