The Irish poet George Bernard Shaw once said, ‘The reasonable man adapts himself to the world. The unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.’ Sometimes though, we have to do the right, selfless thing on behalf of each other, and have the full vaccine shot. Yet COVID vaccine hesitancy continues. Why is this happening?
Five Practical Reasons People Resist the COVID-19 Vaccine
The Conversation website published an analysis on September 29, 2021 we summarize here:
1… Misunderstanding about the vaccine and misinformation about the necessity is the number one reason. People are puzzled and confused.
2… However, other people are genuinely terrified at the thought of having a needle go into them, and the pain and side effects that might follow.
3… But others ask themselves ‘what’s the point’ because they believe the vaccination can’t stop the pandemic. They can’t see a reason to have one.
4… However other people believe their own health will see them through. They don’t buy the selfless idea, although they are not against vaccines as such.
5… The next group are a harder nut to crack. That’s because they don’t like foreign substances entering their bodies. To them a vaccine is an intrusion.
Four Psychological Barriers Feeding COVID Vaccine Hesitancy
1… Anxiety develops when something looms we fear we can’t cope with. Some folk deny the pandemic is real, or that it threatens them personally.
2… But others develop COVID vaccine hesitancy after their government introduces counter measures they don’t want to be part of. They refuse to participate.
3… We are all of us social creatures following the norms of our group. If our close friends say no to vaccine, we may comply to avoid rejection.
4… And finally, our independent streak may drive us into the hands of conspiracy theorists. We lose faith in our government. We don’t trust its advice.
Those concerns, fears, and misunderstandings are very real to 20% of the global population. They arise out of a history of government neglect, and a failure to communicate. We can’t simply wish them away. However, we do hope that eventually the truth, and the sheer logic of vaccination will find a way through.
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