Can Vaccine Reluctance and New Mutant Strains Prolong the Pandemic?

Although the vaccine brings hope; the reluctance of many to get vaccinated and the recent recognition of new strains (mutations) of the virus may pose a few challenges. Herd immunity may not be as close, as first imagined.

Vaccine Reluctance

Kudos to the scientists for producing a vaccine in such a short period of time. Truly, a remarkable technological feat. However, this effort remains plagued (no pun intended) by myths, misinformation, and mistrust.

Vaccine reluctance isn’t new — long before COVID, we’ve had anti-vaxxers standing steadfast against all vaccines, including the yearly flu vaccine. And while it may seem that these views are concentrated amongst a small proportion of extreme thinkers, the reality is that this reluctance — especially regarding the COVID vaccine — is widespread. In fact, it seems that nearly half of the United States population is likely to delay or decline vaccination despite regulatory approval. Moreover, 1 in 5 are unlikely to get vaccinated at all, and 1 in 4 would like to wait until they are more certain about the vaccine’s safety. People are nervous; are there side effects that we don’t about? Did we produce this vaccine too hastily?

The simple and unequivocal truth is, no. This vaccine has met the highest regulatory…