How to Talk to Your Friends and Family About Getting Vaccinated
Even with the numbers of Americans who would get the vaccine slowly rising (currently it is sitting at 61%), there are still 32% who have stated they would not get the vaccine. With the percentage of people needing to get the vaccine to provide adequate protection to the community being at 75–85%, the number of those willing to vaccinate needs to continue to rise.
It’s natural to be hesitant about something new, especially given the circumstances, so instilling confidence and understanding can help address the situation better. The best way to begin the conversation with a friend or a family member that is reluctant to get the vaccine is to start with openness and curiosity — try to avoid sounding confrontational or antagonizing. Studies show that this kind of engagement causes people to become more concrete in their convictions, even when proven wrong; keep questions open ended and try to understand their fears and address misconceptions instead, as well as encourage them to talk to their doctors.
Put the vaccine into perspective, including the risks of adverse reactions (no matter how uncommon they are) with the notion that those risks are less serious when compared to the possibility of getting COVID and potentially passing it to a loved one, which creates a higher risk of death in both parties. Let them know that by getting the vaccine they are helping others and they are helping speed up the process to opening the public safely again. Help them understand the mechanisms and science behind the vaccine and address the myths associated.
1. The Technology is Too New
This is a common misconception, in actuality, the technology used for the COVID vaccine is a decade old and has been used for the manufacture of different treatments for cancer as well as other vaccines that have been administered in the last decade. While some technological advancements have been used with the vaccine, most of it is not new.
2. It was Released Quickly, so it Must be Haphazard
Due to the speed at which the vaccine was released, many people believe that there may have been important steps skipped, which may cause the vaccine to be less effective, or even dangerous. The truth of the matter is that many vaccines take years not due to the length of studies, but to the red tape involved around its release and the amount of money put into research. Due to the urgent nature of the pandemic, more money and resources went into the vaccine to allow the process to happen more quickly and the bureaucratic formalities were dropped. At least 30,000 people were involved in just the third vaccine trials alone, this number is competitive with numbers seen for many other vaccines on the market. Alongside this, those involved in the research and development of the vaccine are formidable experts who have dedicated their lives to vaccine development and are incredibly dedicated to putting out the most safe and effective vaccine to the public.
3. There is Not Enough Information on Side Effects
It’s important to note that with any vaccine the common side effects are soreness or swelling at the administered location and headache. These are signs that the effects of the vaccine are taking place and working, however, when discussing serious adverse effects, it is important to remember that it has already been administered to over 100,000 people and of those numbers, there have not been major reported adverse reactions. Although the likelihood of having an adverse reaction is low, it is not impossible and it is important to be aware of the possibility and to be sure that your physician knows of any possible allergies and preexisting conditions that could put you at risk for an adverse reaction so that you can be monitored. In the grand scheme of things, an adverse reaction that can be controlled is better than a deadly uncontrollable disease.
4. I’ll Get the Virus from the Vaccine.
The COVID vaccine is not a live virus vaccine so it is impossible to get COVID from the vaccine.
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