Trust in the new vaccines – the vital role of healthcare communications

Since the first COVID-19 vaccine was approved in the UK in early December 2020, the subject of vaccine confidence has become one of huge importance.

Vaccine hesitancy, of course, existed long before COVID-19, but resistance to the routine immunisation of children has largely been associated with the ‘anti-vax’ movement. Lack of confidence in the new COVID-19 vaccines has been reported in diverse communities and sections of society.

Indeed, as of November 2020, the Edelman Trust Barometer found that only 62% of those employed in the healthcare sector said they were ready to be vaccinated within a year. This is a lower figure than for those employed in many other industries, including telecoms, manufacturing and fashion. And this was before any of the negative stories about the new vaccines had made headlines.

So can we hypothesise that at this point it was the very ‘newness’ of the vaccines that was the issue? And how do you overcome ‘newness’ without waiting years for something to become ‘old’? One way is to maintain a constant flow of credible, accurate and reassuring information, and of course this is where healthcare communications has a role to play. The same is true when it comes to overcoming misinformation.

Almost half of people (46%) surveyed in the Trust Barometer agreed it had been difficult for them to find reliable and trustworthy information about the virus and its effects.