“To a scientist, that was good medicine, but to the public, it was read as flip-flopping,” Dr. Yasmin said.
This thinking also ties into vaccine hesitancy, which is not a one-size-fits-all issue. Many different reasons exist for why people may shy away from the COVID-19 vaccines, she explained. Examples: One person may get all of their other necessary vaccines and feel skeptical of the COVID-19 vaccines because they were developed so rapidly. Someone else may be vaccine hesitant in general, while still others may see vaccines as anti-freedom and anti-American.
Not having experienced a pandemic or not witnessing first- or second-hand the ravages of certain diseases, such as polio, whooping cough or measles, may also lead some people to place less importance on vaccines to fight against diseases, both Dr. Yasmin and Dr. Karp said.
Dr. Yasmin recommends finding out why someone is vaccine hesitant. One area to address more often is why someone is vaccine hesitant beyond just the ingredients in the vaccine itself. Often, cultural factors and misinformation or disinformation are involved. Addressing vaccine hesitancy will likely take more than one conversation with someone, she noted.
Showing empathy—not dismissiveness—for a patient’s experience also can go a long way toward building a relationship with them, Dr. Yasmin added. This approach may make them less likely to go to a website or other venue peddling so-called cures for health problems, which may come up when treating patients with long COVID-19, for example.
Dr. Yasmin recommends finding out why someone is vaccine hesitant. … Often, cultural factors & misinformation or disinformation are involved.
Fighting Vulnerability
Dr. Yasmin also addressed the world’s vulnerability to another pandemic. One reason the COVID-19 pandemic occurred was because different industries remained in siloes vs. collaborating, she said. To become less susceptible to pandemics and public health crises in the future, leaders in medicine will need to come together with other industries to work together and plan together.
“We need to recognize that we live in a world that is susceptible to public health crises,” she said.
Addressing supply chain issues is also part of this better preparation so that providers and their patients are not caught off-guard by medicine shortages like those that took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, including shortages of hydroxychloroquine and tofacitinib, Dr. Karp said.
ACR’s Progression
Dr. Karp updated attendees on the ACR’s progress over the past year, noting that the College has continued to grow despite pandemic challenges. “Life for the ACR has been pretty normal. Many activities have not slowed or stopped,” he said.
