Promoting COVID-19 vaccine acceptance: recommendations from the Lancet Commission on Vaccine Refusal, Acceptance, and Demand in the USA. Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Since the first case of COVID-19 was identified in the USA in January, 2020, over 46 million people in the country have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Several COVID-19 vaccines have received emergency use authorisations from the US Food and Drug Administration, with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine receiving full approval on Aug 23, 2021. When paired with masking, physical distancing, and ventilation, COVID-19 vaccines are the best intervention to sustainably control the pandemic. However, surveys have consistently found that a sizeable minority of US residents do not plan to get a COVID-19 vaccine. The most severe consequence of an inadequate uptake of COVID-19 vaccines has been sustained community transmission (including of the delta [B.1.617.2] variant, a surge of which began in July, 2021). Exacerbating the direct impact of the virus, a low uptake of COVID-19 vaccines will prolong the social and economic repercussions of the pandemic on families and communities, especially low-income and minority ethnic groups, into 2022, or even longer. The scale and challenges of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign are unprecedented. Therefore, through a series of recommendations, we present a coordinated, evidence-based education, communication, and behavioural intervention strategy that is likely to improve the success of COVID-19 vaccine programmes across the USA.

published proceedings

  • Lancet

altmetric score

  • 265.91

author list (cited authors)

  • Omer, S. B., Benjamin, R. M., Brewer, N. T., Buttenheim, A. M., Callaghan, T., Caplan, A., ... Hotez, P. J.

citation count

  • 31

complete list of authors

  • Omer, Saad B||Benjamin, Regina M||Brewer, Noel T||Buttenheim, Alison M||Callaghan, Timothy||Caplan, Arthur||Carpiano, Richard M||Clinton, Chelsea||DiResta, Renee||Elharake, Jad A||Flowers, Lisa C||Galvani, Alison P||Lakshmanan, Rekha||Maldonado, Yvonne A||McFadden, SarahAnn M||Mello, Michelle M||Opel, Douglas J||Reiss, Dorit R||Salmon, Daniel A||Schwartz, Jason L||Sharfstein, Joshua M||Hotez, Peter J

publication date

  • December 2021