Support or lack of it for Covid vaccination

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Woodchopper
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Re: Support or lack of it for Covid vaccination

Post by Woodchopper » Tue Feb 23, 2021 9:14 pm

Vaccine hesitancy amongst so-called ‘BAME’ communities (a highly problematic phrase in itself, but especially in the hands of the Daily Mail), is very real, especially amongst Black and South Asian populations. This needs to be tackled urgently to avoid deepening the health inequalities that Covid has both exposed and exacerbated. But it needs to be done sensitively, and without stigmatising communities. And the key to that is insight and proper, active listening.

We’ve carried out an extensive vaccine insight programme in Hackney, and the learning has shaped all our communications. Amongst most people, vaccine hesitancy is just that. People feel nervous, unsure, and indeed hesitant. None of our residents talked about 5G, microchips, nano-technology, Bill Gates, or aliens. Those who had fears talked about the speed of the vaccine development, potential side effects, worries about the 12 week gap, about how rushed the whole thing seemed to them, how it would react with existing conditions, wanting to wait and see. Some talked about experiences of medical racism, and lack of trust in government messaging.

In our focus groups we tested a range of messages, developed with our in-house behavioral science specialists, ranging from the fear inducing (‘you will be at risk if you don’t get vaccinated’) to the emotive (‘you could hug your family again’). We tested the social norming messages (‘everyone else is doing it!’). We showed a range of sample campaign posters. The feedback was very clear. People do not want to feel that they are being persuaded or manipulated. They want to feel informed. They want their questions answered.They want clear facts from trusted messengers so that they can make their own decisions. And who are those trusted messengers? Well, guess what? They’re not social media influencers, celebrities or (dare I say it?) politicians. They’re not even faith leaders or community peers – although those can be helpful advocates. The most trusted messengers on vaccination are doctors, nurses, and public health professionals.
More at the link: https://danslee.co.uk/2021/02/19/guest- ... -covid-19/

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lpm
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Re: Support or lack of it for Covid vaccination

Post by lpm » Thu Feb 25, 2021 3:26 pm

A good simple chart from Imperial. Although it looks as if they screwed up the PDF and it's missing the analysis for most to least deprived - though we know what that will tell.

Bit surprised to see women worse than men - normally it's men who neglect health.

The figure of >95% for all cohorts 1-9 has implications for the vaccine rollout - little speeding up do to vaccine refusals, meaning groups 8 and 9 might miss late March and need to wait to early April.

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bjn
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Re: Support or lack of it for Covid vaccination

Post by bjn » Thu Feb 25, 2021 5:23 pm

Out of the various UK political parties' supporters, Nigel Farage fans are least in favour of vaccination. Given Kippers and their splitters in Reform UK are generally hard of thinking, I find this unsurprising.
Only 53.7% of those planning to vote for Reform UK favour taking the vaccine, a two-wave study by Oxford University found.

This contrasts dramatically to over 90% for supporters of the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats, at 94.8%, 91.4% and 92.1% respectively, and 100% for those who intend to vote for the SNP.

People who did not know who they would vote for were less likely to take the vaccine at 82.6%, as were supporters of the Green Party at 77.4%.

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Martin Y
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Re: Support or lack of it for Covid vaccination

Post by Martin Y » Sat Feb 27, 2021 6:56 pm

lpm wrote:
Thu Feb 25, 2021 3:26 pm
Bit surprised to see women worse than men - normally it's men who neglect health.
Well, if you're not giving any thought to getting vaccinated anyway then you're not spending any time fretting over whether your vaccination will be safe.

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Martin Y
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Re: Support or lack of it for Covid vaccination

Post by Martin Y » Sat Feb 27, 2021 7:08 pm

bjn wrote:
Thu Feb 25, 2021 5:23 pm
Out of the various UK political parties' supporters, Nigel Farage fans are least in favour of vaccination. Given Kippers and their splitters in Reform UK are generally hard of thinking, I find this unsurprising.
I think it deserves to be at least a bit surprising. I mean one's immediate assumption is they're just that stupid, but it's not quite as simple as stupidity. I think more likely to be something like contrarianism. The people they see advocating vaccination are people they don't like or trust. They're "the elite" or some sh.t like that.

It's a bit like Trump fans objection to wearing masks. I've seen it argued that "they're conservative" therefore they won't willingly do anything new, but remember they went nuts for hydroxychloroquine. It's not the change they don't like. It's not the message. It's the messenger.

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bjn
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Re: Support or lack of it for Covid vaccination

Post by bjn » Sat Feb 27, 2021 9:11 pm

Martin Y wrote:
Sat Feb 27, 2021 7:08 pm
bjn wrote:
Thu Feb 25, 2021 5:23 pm
Out of the various UK political parties' supporters, Nigel Farage fans are least in favour of vaccination. Given Kippers and their splitters in Reform UK are generally hard of thinking, I find this unsurprising.
I think it deserves to be at least a bit surprising. I mean one's immediate assumption is they're just that stupid, but it's not quite as simple as stupidity. I think more likely to be something like contrarianism. The people they see advocating vaccination are people they don't like or trust. They're "the elite" or some sh.t like that.

It's a bit like Trump fans objection to wearing masks. I've seen it argued that "they're conservative" therefore they won't willingly do anything new, but remember they went nuts for hydroxychloroquine. It's not the change they don't like. It's not the message. It's the messenger.
Contrarianism falls very happily into my definition of stupidity.

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Woodchopper
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Re: Support or lack of it for Covid vaccination

Post by Woodchopper » Sat Feb 27, 2021 9:28 pm

Younger Military Personnel Reject Vaccine, in Warning for Commanders and the Nation

[...]

“At the end of the day, our military is our society,” said Dr. Michael S. Weiner, the former chief medical officer for the Defense Department, who now serves in the same role for Maximus, a government contractor and technology company. “They have the same social media, the same families, the same issues that society at large has.”

Roughly one-third of troops on active duty or in the National Guard have declined to take the vaccine, military officials recently told Congress. In some places, such as Fort Bragg, N.C., the nation’s largest military installation, acceptance rates are below 50 percent.

[...]

While Pentagon officials say they are not collecting specific data on those who decline the vaccine, there is broad agreement that refusal rates are far higher among younger members, and enlisted personnel are more likely to say no than officers. Military spouses appear to share that hesitation: In a December poll of 674 active-duty family members conducted by Blue Star Families, a military advocacy group, 58 percent said they would not allow their children to receive the vaccine.

For many troops, the reluctance reflects the concerns of civilians who have said in various public health polls that they will not take the vaccine. Many worry the vaccines are unsafe or were developed too quickly.

Some of the concerns stem from misinformation that has run rampant on Facebook and other social media, including the false rumor that the vaccine contains a microchip devised to monitor recipients, that it will permanently disable the body’s immune system or that it is some form of government control.

In some ways, vaccines are the new masks: a preventive measure against the virus that has been politicized.

[...]

Other troops cite the anthrax vaccine, which was believed to cause adverse effects in members of the military in the late 1990s, as evidence that the military should not be on the front lines of a new vaccine.

In many cases, the reasons for refusal include all of the above.

A 24-year-old female airman first class in Virginia said she declined the shot even though she is an emergency medical worker, as did many in her squadron. She shared her views only on the condition of anonymity because, like most enlisted members, she is not permitted to speak to the news media without official approval.

“I would prefer not to be the one testing this vaccine,” she explained in an email. She also said that because vaccine access had become a campaign theme during the 2020 race for the White House, she was more skeptical, and added that some of her colleagues had told her they would rather separate from the military than take the vaccine should it become mandatory.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/27/us/p ... e=Homepage

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Martin Y
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Re: Support or lack of it for Covid vaccination

Post by Martin Y » Sat Feb 27, 2021 11:43 pm

Woodchopper wrote:
Sat Feb 27, 2021 9:28 pm

“I would prefer not to be the one testing this vaccine,” she explained
That's disappointingly disconnected from reality. The tens of thousands who voluntarily tested the vaccines and then the couple of hundred million who already got vaccinated might all be justified in raising an eyebrow.

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bolo
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Re: Support or lack of it for Covid vaccination

Post by bolo » Sun Feb 28, 2021 2:08 am

Martin Y wrote:
Sat Feb 27, 2021 11:43 pm
Woodchopper wrote:
Sat Feb 27, 2021 9:28 pm

“I would prefer not to be the one testing this vaccine,” she explained
That's disappointingly disconnected from reality. The tens of thousands who voluntarily tested the vaccines and then the couple of hundred million who already got vaccinated might all be justified in raising an eyebrow.
Or, if not feeling quite so restrained, in telling her to f.ck off.

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Re: Support or lack of it for Covid vaccination

Post by Bird on a Fire » Sun Feb 28, 2021 1:20 pm

It seems like making vaccination mandatory in the military is an excellent idea, both for covid reasons and to purge it of smooth-brained Trumpist nutjobs. They should do the same for the police.
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Re: Support or lack of it for Covid vaccination

Post by Woodchopper » Sun Mar 07, 2021 8:25 pm


Russian intelligence agencies have mounted a campaign to undermine confidence in Pfizer Inc.’s and other Western vaccines, using online publications that in recent months have questioned the vaccines’ development and safety, U.S. officials said.

An official with the State Department’s Global Engagement Center, which monitors foreign disinformation efforts, identified four publications that he said have served as fronts for Russian intelligence.

The websites played up the vaccines’ risk of side effects, questioned their efficacy, and said the U.S. had rushed the Pfizer vaccine through the approval process, among other false or misleading claims.

Though the outlets’ readership is small, U.S. officials say they inject false narratives that can be amplified by other Russian and international media.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/russian-di ... 1615129200

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