With the Rise of COVID-19 Vaccines, a Greater Public Mistrust of Immunizations Has Taken Hold
In the second installment of our COVID-19 pandemic series, Robert Hopkins Jr, MD, the medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID), discusses the paradox that has arisen from the COVID-19 vaccines that in spite of their development in record time, what remains is a deeper mistrust in immunizations overall.
One of the biggest lingering effects that has arisen from the pandemic is vaccine hesitancy and antivaccine beliefs. What started out as a major achievement with the development of new vaccines to protect against COVID-19 in record time, morphed into disinformation and misinformation campaigns about the COVID-19 vaccines and expanded the public’s already existing mistrust against childhood immunizations that stemmed years before around autism and the measles mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
This vaccine mistrust continues to spread today, and can be seen in the childhood vaccination rates.
“Nationally, 2-dose MMR coverage was 92.7% (range = 79.6% [Idaho] to 98.3% [West Virginia]), with coverage ≥95% reported by 11 jurisdictions and <90% by 14 jurisdictions (Table). Five-dose DTaP coverage was 92.3% (range = 79.5% [Idaho] to 98.4% [West Virginia]); with coverage ≥95% reported by 12 jurisdictions and <90% by 15,” investigators wrote in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Four-dose polio vaccination coverage was 92.6% (range = 80.1% [Idaho] to 98.4% [West Virginia]), with coverage ≥95% reported by 12 jurisdictions and <90% by 13. Two-dose VAR vaccination coverage was 92.4% (range = 79.1% [Idaho] to 99.7% [West Virginia]), with 10 jurisdictions reporting coverage ≥95% and 15 reporting <90% coverage. During the 2023–24 school year, coverage with each of the vaccines decreased in most states compared with that during the 2022–23 school year.” 1
This nationwide decline in immunization rates has been a troubling trend for several years. It is important to note that once local immunization rates fall below 95%, populations in those areas become vulnerable to outbreaks. We are witnessing this now with the current measles outbreak occurring in 3 states and scattered cases in several others.
Record Time: The Development of COVID-19 Vaccines
When the US went into shutdown mode in March 2020, the government had already been working on mRNA technology, which helped accelerate the development of vaccines in less than a year.
“While a great deal of the foundational work was completed following the SARS and MERS outbreaks, and technologies were developed to facilitate mRNA and other vaccine platforms, the rapid development of a process—and then the evaluation of that compressed vaccine timeline—did not miss or change any critical scientific and regulatory steps,” said Robert Hopkins Jr, MD, medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID). “The incredible financial investment by the government, academia, industry, and the dedication of thousands of scientists, staff, and trial participants to get the vaccines to the finish line is just absolutely incredible. We then saw a huge vaccine rollout that was also unprecedented, along with the expansion of a new tool in our vaccine safety platform—the V-SAFE program. It really was an incredible and unprecedented series of events.”
The Toll of Disinformation and Misinformation
Initially, COVID-19 vaccines were viewed as a major scientific accomplishment. However, the rise of disinformation and misinformation influenced public opinion, turning many away from the vaccines. These antivaccine beliefs have since expanded to include immunizations on the childhood vaccine schedule. Diseases previously considered nearly extinct in the US—such as measles—are making a comeback.
Read more: mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines and Turbo Cancer: The Latest Myth That Won’t Disappear
From the very first disinformation campaign around the MMR vaccine and autism nearly 30 years ago to the rise of antivaccine organizations and spokespeople, the pandemic only fueled the flames of this existing undercurrent. It exacerbated the vitriol and cemented these erroneous beliefs for many.
"I think there was fractured trust from the already challenged place we were in back in 2019. Add to that the mandates put in place—done with the very positive goal of protecting the health and safety of society. That good intent, unfortunately, was met with backlash,” Hopkins said. “The backlash—the chafing and outright rebellion against what to do—further fractured the fabric of our society. In the search for solutions to prevent COVID-19, several highly vocal advocates promoted unproven compounds like hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin, and others, which were trumpeted as solutions by some leaders and segments of society, despite evidence to the contrary.”
Reference
1. Seither R, Yusuf OB, Dramann D, et al. Coverage with Selected Vaccines and Exemption Rates Among Children in Kindergarten - United States, 2023-24 School Year. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2024;73(41):925-932. Published 2024 Oct 17. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7341a3
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