Nursing & Healthcare News

Promoting Vaccination Confidence

Nurses can help build public trust in the fight against COVID-19

A nurse is giving a vaccination to an older black man as he looks towards the camera

By Aaron SeversonApril 27, 2021

1 min read
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Nurses are the most trusted profession in the country. Your efforts can go a long way toward encouraging the public to get vaccinated — and fighting antivaxx propaganda.

Conspiracies and Setbacks

As of press time, more than 140 million Americans have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Unfortunately, a significant minority remains hesitant about the vaccines, which are now available to everyone aged 16 and older.

Conspiracy theories were spreading well before the first FDA emergency use authorization in December, and antivaxxers have seized on every subsequent setback (like the recent issues with the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine) to sow further mistrust.

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Setting a Positive Example

Luckily, there are ways nurses can help.

Sharing your personal vaccination experience with patients, family and friends can ease any doubts they may have. According to Drew Altman, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, which has been tracking public attitudes, “one of the most important messages vaccine-reluctant Americans can hear” right now is “your nurse trusts the COVID-19 vaccine; you can too.”

A great way to spread that message beyond your immediate acquaintances is to contribute to ANA\California’s #ThisIsOurShot social media campaign. To learn more, visit anacalifornia.org/covid19-vaccine.

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Vaccine Effectiveness Study

If you or anyone you know works at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center in Sylmar, or if you have acquaintances who work at the UC Fresno or UCSF medical centers, you can also encourage them to sign up for a new COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness study called PREVENT.

This one-year study, conducted by the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the University of Iowa’s Carver College of Medicine, will track the experience of both vaccinated and nonvaccinated healthcare workers. Click here to find more information and an eligibility survey,

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