A future vaccination campaign against COVID-19 at risk of vaccine hesitancy and politicisation

• Published in: The Lancet infectious diseases Vol. 20; no. 7; pp. 769 - 770
• Main Authors: Peretti-Watel, Patrick, Seror, Valérie, Cortaredona, Sébastien, Launay, Odile, Raude, Jocelyn, Verger, Pierrea, Fressard, Lisa, Beck, François, Legleye, Stéphane, L'Haridon, Olivier, Léger, Damien, Ward, Jeremy Keith
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2020; Elsevier Limited; New York, NY : Elsevier Science ; The Lancet Pub. Group, 2001
• Subjects: Attitudes; Betacoronavirus - immunology; Children; Comment; Coronavirus Infections - prevention & control; Coronavirus Infections - psychology; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 Vaccines; France; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health promotion; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Immunization; Immunization - psychology; Immunization Programs; Infectious diseases; Life Sciences; Pandemics; Pandemics - prevention & control; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Pneumonia, Viral - prevention & control; Political activism; Politics; Population; Public health; Santé publique et épidémiologie; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Sociology; Vaccination Refusal - psychology; Vaccination Refusal - statistics & numerical data; Vaccines; Vaccines - administration & dosage; Viral Vaccines - administration & dosage; France; COVID-19; Vaccine hesitancy; Vaccination
• ISSN: 1473-3099; 1474-4457; 1474-4457
• DOI: 10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30426-6

The social profile of reluctant responders is even more worrying: this attitude was more prevalent among low-income people (37%), who are generally more exposed to infectious diseases,4 among young women (aged 18–35 years; 36%), who play a crucial role regarding childhood vaccination,5 and among people aged older than 75 years (22%), who are probably at an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19. When this dimension has been studied, researchers have often found a connection between political beliefs and attitudes to vaccines.6 They highlight a crucial issue for public health interventions: how can we assure the public that recommendations reflect the state of scientific knowledge rather than political interests? Public authorities are setting up fast-track approval processes for a putative vaccine against SARS-CoV-2.9 It is crucial to communicate early and transparently on these processes to avoid vaccines becoming part of political debates.