vaccine hesitancy

Herd immunity is possible – but we have to vaccinate the unvaccinated. About 97 percent of hospitalized COVID patients right now are unvaccinated, a sign that vaccines will help us reach herd immunity, says Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

The head of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention used a radio appearance to call on residents to set aside anger and fear as the state battles a resurgence of the coronavirus. Maine has had more success than many states in controlling COVID-19, but cases have been rising in recent weeks. Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah told…

Cash and prizes are becoming more popular as a way to sway the unvaccinated to get the shot. “Our office has begun to do initial research on what a vaccine lottery would entail, but ultimately any program and specifics would be set forth by the Governor’s office,” the Massachusetts treasurer’s office said in a statement. Gov. Charlie Baker’s office...

As we celebrate AAPI Heritage Month, some health experts are putting the spotlight on distrust and fear in many Asian American communities that has led to vaccine hesitancy.

More than 70% of Massachusetts adults have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, one of the highest rates in the country. But vaccine hesitancy is still slowing progress in some communities.

As more people in Massachusetts, many teenagers still hesitant to get the shot. But Doctors say it’s important that they get the shot available to them.

Many of the country’s most vaccine-hesitant communities are also facing a host of other factors that could hinder widespread vaccination, according to an NBC analysis

Canvassers with the state’s Vaccine Equity Initiative handed out informational flyers in Revere on Thursday afternoon as the push to get people vaccinated statewide continues. “I’m not at all hesitant. I was ready to get it, I just want to get it over with, get back to normal life,” Revere resident Regina Messina said. Gov. Charlie Baker said Thursday that there...

While the decision to pause distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is making some people more wary about getting that shot when distribution resumes, health officials in Worcester, Massachusetts, are working to combat that hesitancy. Worcester Health Commissioner Dr. Mattie Castiel is on a mission to overcome the inherent inequities in the battle against COVID-19. “The numbers in the…

After the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was paused on Tuesday over safety concerns, Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Wednesday that rather than being proof of a rushed or inadequate vaccination program, the FDA and CDC response proves the system is working effectively. In response to potential rises in vaccine hesitancy, Fauci said, “The fact that after the [emergency use authorization],...

The decision Tuesday to pause administration of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine to investigate the cases of six women who developed blood clots after getting the shots, and whether it’s linked to the vaccine, is not helping instill confidence in the shots.

Medical experts in Boston have been working behind the scenes to correct misinformation that has largely circulated on social media.

Medical experts in Boston, Massachusetts have been trying to dispel rumors that the COVID vaccine causes infertility and address a lack of data around how the vaccine impacts pregnant women.

“So disturbing.” That’s what Dr. Anthony Fauci called the results of a recent poll that found that about half of all Trump supporters do not plan to get the COVID vaccine, while just 10% of Biden supporters would skip vaccination. Among all adults surveyed, 30% said if the COVID vaccine was made available to them they would not choose to…

With vulnerable populations lagging behind in coronavirus vaccinations, officials in Lawrence, Massachusetts, are getting aggressive. Lawrence Mayor Kendrys Vasquez says misinformation is spreading on social media, and the inequality is real. He says he wants Gov. Charlie Baker’s help to deal with the issue. The most Hispanic city in Massachusetts continues to have one of the state’s highest COVID-19...

Vaccine hesitancy in the Black and brown community is giving many of those in the most vulnerable populations pause before signing up for a COVID-19 vaccine. Physicians Jubril Oyeyemi and David Hayes-Bautista discuss how to combat vaccine fear in those communities.

A lot of people are eager to get the coronavirus vaccine, but some people of color in hard-hit communities are still hesitant to get it.