According to the CDC, the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine is ready for use at a clinic in Richmond, Va., November 2022. Only 15% of eligible Americans have received their most recent booster shot.
Steve Helber/AP
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Steve Helber/AP
According to the CDC, the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine is ready for use at a clinic in Richmond, Va., November 2022. Only 15% of eligible Americans have received their most recent booster shot.
Steve Helber/AP
The US has come a long way since two years ago when the first COVID-19 vaccine was available and everyone line cut to get their photo.
Now, many have given up on the need to update the boosters. Only 15% of people who qualify for a COVID booster shot targeting the omicron variant that received it — an even lower rate than the perennially disappointing rate flu vaccine absorption rate. Vaccine fatigue also seems to have spread to other shots – including those for measles and polio – according to a study. recent poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
“It’s very disturbing,” said Claire Hannanwho helps immunization officials from all 50 states run immunization programs as executive director of the Association of Immunization Administrators.
As the country approaches the end of its third pandemic year, NPR spoke to experts in immunization, health communications and public health, to find out how we should all be thinking. about COVID vaccine now.
1. Realize that vaccines are still a good tool
Two years ago, a lot of questions about the new COVID vaccine went unanswered, but now, we have the answers. Do we need more than two injections? You then. Protection will be long term? No, antibodies weaken over time. Is it possible to get reinfected after a COVID episode and full vaccination? Yes, it has become more likely compared to when the pandemic first began, as the virus continues to evolve and produce variants that can partially outdo vaccines.
Those responses have been disappointing and may have reduced demand for the latest COVID surge. But CDC recommend that adults and most children get boost. Vaccination remains a particularly important tool to protect those most at risk of severe COVID-19 infection — those over 65 and those with underlying health conditions, experts say.
“What’s really important is [people] — especially those at high risk — understand the value of vaccinations and make sure they keep up-to-date with booster shots,” says Hannan.
Vaccine, good treatment and actually a lot everyone has been infected, all of which saves people from having to be hospitalized. But every week in America, more than 2,500 people continue to die from COVID.
“Personally, I’m not a fan of needless suffering and death,” says Dr. Kelly Moore, CEO of Immunize.org, the vaccination education and advocacy organization. One recent analysis from the Commonwealth Fund found that the vaccination campaign prevented more than 18 million hospitalizations and 3 million deaths in the United States, while saving the country more than $1 trillion.
“We have an effective tool that can prevent a lot of suffering, hospitalization and death, and we should still use it,” says Moore.
2. Target vaccines to where they’re most taken into account
One solution to vaccine fatigue is to focus efforts on those most at risk, including seniors. Only 35% of people over 65 years old has received an updated booster. Three quarters of deaths from COVID in the US are among those in this age group.
Hannan of the Association of Immunization Administrators said that when the vaccine first came out, there was a huge push to go to nursing homes and vaccinate people. That doesn’t work anymore, she says, not just because of low demand and lack of infrastructure, but because everyone has a different schedule for when they need a boost. “You go there one day and you can vaccinate a small number of people,” she said.
Now, the approach to public health is changing. For example, Hannan says, “CDC is working on an initiative to get some single-dose vials into long-term care facilities that have appropriate storage equipment.” That way, even if a facility resident is ready to get a booster shot, nursing home staff can get a single dose from the pharmacy-grade refrigerator and vaccinate the person on the spot. place.
With the winter holidays upon us and people gathering with loved ones, Sandra Lindsay say think about her. Lindsay is the first in America to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in December 2020 as an intensive care nurse and she is currently vice president of public health advocacy at Northwell Health in New York. “We all have a responsibility to our loved ones,” she said. “If you’re sick, stay home. Grandma – get her vaccinated as a Christmas present.”
3. Listen more carefully to concerns
Part of the reason people are no longer taking the chance to get vaccinated is because they don’t think COVID-19 is a big risk anymore, he said. Cynthia Baurwho directs the Horowitz Center for Health Understanding at the University of Maryland.
“People have to believe they need it and they have to believe that whatever is about to happen will be bad enough for them to take action,” she said. At this point, they are gone – restaurants are open, people are going out to gather and shop, and vaccinations are no longer required in many places to return to normal.
Baur has been working with community health workers who are going out in Maryland to pound sidewalks, talking to people about vaccinations, and it’s going very slowly. “I don’t think we or anyone else doing this work has found any particular message, event or phrase that can really change hearts and minds,” says Baur.
She points out that the mass vaccination system that emerged during a pandemic is not the way most adults get vaccinated. So, with those systems down, it may be time to focus again on healthcare providers, such as doctors, who may have a relationship with patients. and really listen to their concerns and answer their questions.
“Providers remain the number one source for vaccine recommendations,” she said. “If the vendors recommend the vaccine, it at least opens the door for a conversation and the possibility that someone can think a little more carefully about it.”
4. Make vaccinations less scary
There are many ways to combat vaccine hesitancy, including focusing on misinformation or politicization or trust in public health. “I decided to take a slightly different angle, which is to look at how to improve the vaccination experience,” says Moore of Immunize.org.
About one a quarter of an adult she’s afraid of needles, she points out. “How many of those people who refuse to get vaccinated are saying, ‘I don’t want to get vaccinated, I don’t have the time, or I don’t think it’s working? For how many of them, that really just isn’t enough? an excuse?”
She speaks American Autism Association was pioneering strategy to help families and children with autism get vaccinated, as it can be especially stressful and upsetting for people with autism. They have some simple, low-cost ideas like wearing headphones, listening to their favorite music, or using a little bit of “fire-blocking” plastic to make the shot less painful.
I recently tried a variation of this taking my 7-year-old daughter, Noa, for two booster shots. (Fear of needles in children is even higher than in adults — more like 2 out of 3.) I bought an over-the-counter lidocaine patch (marketed for back pain relief) at the pharmacy and cut it to fit her biceps. I put it on her upper arm about 30 minutes before we left. Then I drew an outline on her skin around the patch, so the injector could inject her in that area. Noa said the injection was painless — she was emotional and proud that she didn’t cry. And she asked if we could use it for every shot from now on.
