We generally understand the need for universal COVID vaccination, to slow the spread of the disease. And also to prevent the virus mutating into forms that may be harder to control. We don’t want to look back later and say ‘that Delta was a warning we should have heard’. But what do you do if someone close refuses to have the shot? There are several reasons why your friend may not want their vaccine.
Ignore the Social Media: Understand Your Friend’s Drivers
Vaccine refusers are raising their shields against upsetting posts by people who ought to know better. These are driving their concerns underground. We don’t need a pandemic of the uncertain.
We need to understand why our friends may not want the vaccine and take it from there. They are unlikely to be part of the ‘hard core’. The majority of vaccine refusers are just having difficulty making up their minds. But why is this still so?
Five Possible Reasons Why Your Friend May Not Want Their Vaccine
German Lopez is a senior correspondent on VOX.Com, where his interests lie in politics and policy. He contributed a post on June 2, 2021 that gets us closer to understanding our friends’ dilemmas:
1… Some people are just too busy to break out of their routines to fit vaccination into their schedules between work and home.
2… Others do not view COVID-19 as a threat to them personally. They may also believe they had a previous infection that generated antibodies.
3… Concerns about vaccine side-effects are the big issue for more than a few though. They fear the consequences of having to take a few days off.
4… Lack of trust ‘in the system’ is also behind refusal in many instances. For example, why are vaccines still only approved for emergency use?
5… Various ‘conspiracy theories’ are doing the rounds. None of these have solid foundations, but when you hear a thing often enough you start to believe.
One or more of those five issues may be causing your friend’s hesitancy. You can’t use logic to dismiss emotion. So stay close by your friend instead. Be supportive, bide your time until they open the discussion. Help them make up their own minds. Either way, it must be their own choice.
Related
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