Vaccine Woes Badly Damage Their Reputations Worldwide.
Halting the Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca vaccine distribution has cut deeply into the public trust of their safety. (NY Times)
““It’s sending vaccine confidence into a crater,” Ayoade Alakija, a co-chair of the African Union’s Africa Vaccine Delivery Alliance, said of rich countries’ actions. “It’s irresponsible messaging, and it speaks to the selfishness of the moment that there wouldn’t be more consultation and communication.”
What rich countries call caution, poorer nations will experience as a devastating gamble with the survival of their citizens against Covid-19. “Out of an abundance of caution, let us not destroy vaccine confidence in places that only have access to one type of vaccine,” Dr. Alakija said.Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”
The vaccine pause of 2 different manufacturers is unfortunate but the effort to vaccine the population must continue in order to finally defeat the Coronavirus. The vaccines that have been temporarily discontinued have exceedingly rare side effects but through an abundance of caution they were stopped. Hopefully, the scientific evidence will come forward that the vaccines are safe and effective. Unfortunately, the perception that the vaccines are unsafe may take on a life of its own and jeopardize the effort to inoculate enough people to gain herd immunity. Let’s hope not!
