VaccinesVariants, Misinformation, and “Brain Drain”: The COVID-19 Vaccine Experience in Brazil, India, and Africa
“When it comes to vaccines, there’s access and there’s supply. Then there’s the question ‘Will people take it?’” said an expert who took part in a National Academy of Medicine event which examined the social consequences of COVID-19 and the persistent public health challenges in Brazil, India, and the continent of Africa, and compared the experience there to the U.S. experience.
COVID-19 is likely to be with us for some time, despite the rollout of effective vaccines. The Delta variant is outpacing global vaccination efforts, and several countries — even those with ample vaccine supply — could be grappling with surges this summer. While life may be returning to so-called “normalcy” for those fully vaccinated in the U.S., the outlook is different elsewhere.
“When it comes to vaccines, there’s access and there’s supply. Then there’s the question ‘Will people take it?’” said Chicago Trust CEO Helene Gayle during a recent National Academy of Medicine (NAM) COVID-19 Conversations event, held in partnership with the American Public Health Association. Gayle, who also chaired a recent NAM study on equitable COVID-19 vaccine allocation, moderated the discussion with experts from Brazil, Africa, and India. They examined the social consequences of COVID-19 and the persistent public health challenges in their respective countries, and compared their experience to the U.S. experience.
One common theme they all agreed on: Rampant misinformation and fake news are not issues unique to the U.S.
“The first vaccine was given in 1796 … and the first anti-vaccine group likely formed in 1796,” said panelist Bill Foege, professor emeritus at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health and co-chair of the NAM report. “It’s just the way people are. And you have to find the people that they trust in order to change that.”
What’s most alarming is that often, doctored videos and fake interviews feature seemingly credible scientists, added panelist Gagandeep ‘Cherry’ Kang, clinician scientist and professor at Christian Medical College in India. Many of them hawk “miracle cures” or spread misinformation about the vaccine and fertility.
“We cannot ignore vaccine misinformation in lower- and middle-income countries, because we’re a global community,” she said. “The messages spreading in our communities are many of the same messages you see in the U.S. They circulate on WhatsApp and YouTube, and as soon as YouTube takes them down, they appear on other sites and are dubbed in other languages,” said Kang.
Even among those who are trying to get vaccinated, there’s a digital divide, said Kang.
“You had people in urban areas registering in rural areas and returning to the city … when rural residents didn’t even know there was a vaccine drive going on in the first place.”
