plain social pressure is also moving the needle. “they see that their friends are doing it; it seems like the right thing to do, so they move into that camp of wanting to conform to that social pressure.”
but there are also subtle expressions of vaccine hesitancy, like waiting – waiting for more people to get vaccinated “to see what happens,” waiting for the “better” vaccine, experts said during a public health agency of canada panel discussion this week on covid-19 vaccine hesitancy.
racialized and black people have indicated a lower willingness to be vaccinated, because of lived experiences of stigma and discrimination in the healthcare system, and historic and contemporary experiences of racism, said dr. akwatu khenti, an assistant professor at the u of toronto’s dalla lana school of public health who chairs a city of toronto black scientists’ task force around vaccine equity. all erode trust.
don’t do harm by invalidating their perspectives, khenti advises healthcare providers. “you have to assume that if someone expresses vaccine distrust or mistrust it has to be grounded in reason, even though it’s something you may not agree with.” listen respectfully, share the facts, provide the science and let people make a decision, he said. when a vaccine clinic for black people was held in one of the hardest hit areas of toronto two weeks ago, the line started forming by five in the morning. this, in a very vaccine hesitant community. “what that showed us was trust, and an equity approach which didn’t involve registration, it was a walk-in clinic targeting black people, worked,” khenti said.