Despite Pandemic Fatigue, Health Care Providers Can Help Ease COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy
Chijioke Bennett, executive director of clinical development at Novavax, discusses how health care providers can increase awareness around COVID-19 vaccination and how to help patients overcome vaccine hesitancy.
It was not too long ago that COVID-19 was a leading cause of death in the United States. In 2020 and 2021, the disease ranked third behind cancer and heart disease.1 However, with the end of the federal public health emergency in May of 2023 and the significant decline in both cases and deaths, many no longer view COVID-19 as a serious issue. A survey from the Pew Research Center found that only 27% of Americans are very or somewhat concerned about getting a COVID-19 infection that would require hospitalization.2
But with cases once again on the rise and the respiratory virus season just around the corner, public health officials are strongly recommending those who are eligible to receive an updated COVID-19 vaccine to get it. The FDA recently approved 2 updated vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna that target the KP.2 variant of the Omicron strain of SARS-CoV-2. Novavax, which manufactures the only non–mRNA COVID-19 vaccine option, is also waiting for an FDA decision on its 2024-2025 vaccine formula.
In an interview with Drug Topics, Chijioke Bennett, MD, MPH, MBA, executive director of clinical development at Novavax, discussed how health care providers can increase awareness around the importance of COVID-19 vaccines, how pharmacies can help remind patients about getting their vaccines, how providers can help patients overcome vaccine hesitancy, and how providers can help patients decide which vaccine is right for them.
“With the uptick in COVID-19 rates, people have this illusion that because [they] got COVID-19 in the summer, [they] don’t need to get the vaccine in the fall,” Bennett said. “That is not true. What we’ve seen is that the best combination is even if you have had the disease, you should get the vaccine as well. It’s what I call “top shelf immunity,” where you have a mix of both. You’ve had natural immunity from your body seeing the disease itself, but you should also get the vaccine. So, even if you’ve had a case of COVID-19 in the summer, give yourself about a couple of months and then go get a shot in the fall.”
READ MORE: COVID-19 Resource Center
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