Essay on Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccine in America

The covid-19 pandemic has caused untold damage globally. The disease is caused by the deadly respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and has led to the death of a significant number of people worldwide. Covid-19 has left educational, economic, and social devastation in its wake. Unfortunately, curative treatment is yet to be discovered. Nevertheless, the recent development of vaccines to fight catastrophic diseases has brought hope to many nations. But is everybody ready to get the vaccine? A relatively low rate of vaccine acceptance has hindered efforts to fight the pandemic successfully in the US. Hence, the government has to find ways of achieving mass vaccination by sensitizing people on the benefits and necessity of embracing the immunization campaign.

One of the fundamental problems facing the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic is that many people are hesitant to accept the vaccination. A successful immunization exercise can lead to herd immunity, which reduces cross infections significantly. Herd immunity is only achievable through having a large population proportion accepting the vaccine willingly. Several kinds of research have been conducted to assess the acceptance rates of the covid-19 vaccine in various countries. It was revealed in a study that only 67% of the respondents were willing to accept the vaccine (Malik et al.3). The survey found that the determinants of the hesitancy were the fear of side effects, lack of clear information about the vaccine, safety concerns, and queries about the vaccine’s effectiveness. Some individuals do not want to be vaccinated because they are afraid of injections, while others lack information about the whole process. In addition, many people neither trust healthcare professionals nor the government concerning drugs. However, the mistrust should not be enough reason to reject the vaccines.

Several conspiracy theories explain why people are afraid of vaccines whenever there is a crisis(Jolley and Douglas 2). Hence, the Covid-19 pandemic is not exceptional. The small percentage of the population against the vaccine may influence others by selling fear. They will depict the immunization to be unsafe, with severe purported side effects. The result is a population filled with skepticism, powerlessness and mistrust in the system. Thus, unless the vaccine hesitancy is put under check, the whole immunization exercise will be futile.

The government should find effective ways of ensuring everybody gets immunized willingly. Healthcare officials should organize sensitization campaigns to educate people on the importance of the covid-19 vaccine. They should allay the public’s fears by answering any questions concerning the safety and validity of the vaccines and what refusal of immunizations will mean for the country. The only existing solution to the pandemic is ensuring all people are immunized against the virus (Kuter et al.,1695). Stakeholders such as religious leaders and the local civil authority can play a significant role in dispelling the conspiracy theories and cultural factors that hinder successful immunization exercises. The leaders should all be at the forefront in receiving the vaccine to build confidence in others by setting a good example.

Conclusively, the acceptance of the covid-19 vaccine by most, if not all, people is necessary to achieve herd immunity. Since lack of awareness and safety are the major impediments, the government should ensure adequate health education. The government should adopt a friendly manner of sensitizing the public to gain their trust. Besides, different leaders at the forefront in receiving the vaccine will build confidence and reassure the people to follow suit.

Works Cited

Malik, Amyn A., et al. “Determinants of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in the US.” EClinicalMedicine 26 (2020): 100495.

Jolley, Daniel, and Karen M. Douglas. “The Effects of Anti-Vaccine Conspiracy Theories on Vaccination Intentions.” PLoS ONE, vol. 9, no. 2, 2014, p. e89177.

Kuter, Barbara J., et al. “Perspectives on the receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine: A survey of employees in two large hospitals in Philadelphia.” Vaccine 39.12 (2021): 1693-1700.