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greater risk as they may work outside their homes and as such, are likely to have interactions/encounters with other people. For this population there may be a general mistrust of the safety of the vaccine itself as many may opt to “wait until it has been available for a while to see how it is working for others.”
Vaccine hesitancy can also be due to religious beliefs and in a growing population segment, it can have socio- cultural and politically held roots.
As physicians work to gain/recover “trust” or establish/reestablish the “faith” in the doctor- patient relationship--- it is important to know that vaccine hesitancy can be multifactorial. It can be deeply rooted in historic generational experiences, religious beliefs, safety concerns, an individual behavior, or result from the broader societal influences and should always be looked at in the historical, political and socio-cultural context in which vaccination takes place. Physicians and those involved in the COVID 19 vaccination roll out efforts will need to ensure that they are prepared and well informed about vaccine hesitancy and are able to identify and address its determinants in order to have the best chance for acceptance.
References:
1. https://news.umich.edu/majority-of-detroiters-say-theyre- unlikely-to-get-covid-19-vaccine-u-m-survey-says/
2 https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/public-health/ how-overcome-covid-19-vaccine-hesitancy-among-black-patients
3. https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/press-release/ most-hispanic-adults-lean-towards-getting-a-covid-19-vaccine- but-many-younger-adults-are-hesitant/
4. https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/poll-finding/ vaccine-hesitancy-among-hispanic-adults/
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5355208/ 6. Page 6 graphic via www.michigan.gov
Related Articles:
“I’m a Black doctor. Here’s why we all should take the COVID vaccine” by Herbert C. Smitherman Jr., MD, MPH, FACP written for Bridge Detroit. https://www.bridgedetroit.com/opinion-im-a- black-doctor-heres-why-we-all-should-take-the-covid-vaccine/
First Quarter 2021
Detroit Medical News 5