Why people have doubt about

vaccination
Currently, most countries are aggressively promoting vaccines to combat COVID-19, but still a lot of
doubts for vaccination in society. A University of Western Australia study published in January this year
found large numbers of “undecided” people. “The significant number of people who remain undecided
about whether or not to get a COVID-19 vaccine, despite the ongoing devastating consequences of the
virus for individuals, communities, and economies, is concerning.” the study concluded.
Why are so many people hesitant about COVID-19 vaccines? Since vaccines are closely related to our
health, safety concerns must be the most important factor for people to consider when getting vaccinated.
So what causes people to doubt the safety of vaccines?

Hypothesis① People concerns about the quality of vaccines:

According to the medical procedure for developing a vaccine, all of the vaccines we're used over the
years home had to go through the rigorous clinical trial which is divided into three phases (phase I/I/I).
After the phase Ⅲ clinical trial is completed, the expected clinical protection effect is obtained and the
safety is good, the enterprise can produce it for people to use. The duration of all clinical trials is usually
at least 3-byears, or even more than 10years.
However, the vaccines we're currently using for Covid-19 was developed in a very short time, less than 2
years from development to use. Besides, it has many side effects, and even some people have died from
these vaccines or are still infected.
There are many cases for us to refer to. Since April 2021, some people have developed myocarditis
(inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of the lining outside the heart) after
receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna coronavirus vaccines in the United States, according to the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The problem occurs more often in adolescents
(teens) and young adults, and in males.

Hypothesis②The Internet makes it impossible for people to distinguish between true and false
information, which leads to anxiety and suspicion:
Surveys commissioned by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate" (CCDH) in October last year found
that one in six people would likely refuse vaccination- thanks largely. Is report argued, to online
misinformation.
The main way for people to get information in the 21st century is to rely on the internet for news, and the
Internet can bring clarity to events, but it can also blur them.The internet often has the effect of inflating
information. For instance, some media can make a deep impression on public by propagandizing some
rare cases or accidental events, so that people will mistakenly believe that there is a high probability of
accidental events. Besides, there are a lot of read news and fake news online that we cannot tell apart, and
all the information spreads so fast on the Internet, which has also fueled conspiracy theory.
In fact, people can also feel that the information is ambiguous and false, and because of this, people do
not build up a lot of trust in vaccines, but a lot anxiety.

Hypothesis③Media-led conspiracy theories cast doubt on safety of vaccines:

There are a lot of conspiracy theories in currently society. Take, for example, the anti-vax conspiracy
theory suggesting the current vaccination drive has been orchestrated by Bill Gates, who allegedly wishes
to microchip humanity. Although I also do not know these conspiracy theories are true or false. I can see
the distract of the upper classes of society. These conspiracy theories point the finger at a party, class or
group, leading to public hatred and suspicion of them, and the media's ability to promote conspiracy
theories is based on the public's existing dissatisfaction and prejudice against the upper class(distrust of
the pharmaceutical industry, and information from medical experts, and even government.).
People who are dissatisfied with certain groups are more likely to believe conspiracy theories and thus
more skeptical of vaccines.