Until such time as we have a COVID vaccine, every North American will be at risk because we know infection immunity is transient. In September, 2020 CDC said U.S. should have enough coronavirus vaccine to return to ‘regular life’ by third quarter of 2021. And presumably Canada will follow suit. However, that does not answer the question how long it takes to vaccinate North America because of the human factor.
Social Spin to How Long It Takes to Vaccinate North America
The American Institute of Biological Sciences posted an interesting discussion document on November 2, 2020 in its journal BioScience. It says, with reference to the link below, the vaccine will not be effective if a significant proportion of the population is unsure about it. Therefore, how long it takes to vaccinate North America also depends on how well the public believes the shot is worth it.
This hesitancy could increase if North Americans believe their governments are rushing the testing. And they could be proved right, if scientists fail to identify unfortunate side effects, or long term health impacts.
Decades of Research Reveal Ways to Market Vaccine
Social and behavioral scientists have been trying to figure out what makes vaccination acceptable for decades, according to BioScience. Broad pro-vaccination campaigns don’t yield impressive results. Indeed, they may increase resistance because of mistrust of the messenger.
There’s a continuum of acceptance, says vaccine safety specialist Julie Bettinger at University of British Columbia. People move up and down it due to a variety of influences. ‘At some point, each of us can be vaccine hesitant.’ We have a while longer to make up our minds. In the interim social distancing and face masks could help stem the tide, if we all complied.
There’s some evidence targeted hints from social opinion makers might help change beliefs. But it still seems possible it may take longer than the third quarter of 2021 to vaccinate everyone. Unless something dramatic changes and we all join an orderly queue …
Related
Best Vaccine May Be At the Tipping Point Now
The Current Status of COVID Vaccines in U.S.
Preview Image: Vaccines Are Important for Children
