Q&A: How Health Care Providers Can Help Increase COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake
Chijioke Bennett, executive director of clinical development at Novavax, discusses how health care providers can increase awareness around the importance of COVID-19 vaccines.
Although COVID-19 cases and deaths have fallen significantly since the height of the pandemic, the disease still represents a threat to public health. The United States is currently experiencing an uptick in cases, with viral activity levels in wastewater being the highest they’ve been since July 2022.1 Because of this, public health officials recommend that anyone who is eligible to get vaccinated, as the FDA has recently approved updated shots from Pfizer and Moderna.
Q&A: How Health Care Providers Can Increase COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake / New Africa - stock.adobe.com
However, many in the country continue to believe misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines and remain unwilling to get it. According to a 2024 survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, 1 in 5 Americans believe getting a COVID-19 infection is safer than getting a vaccine.2 The survey also showed that only 44% of respondents were “somewhat likely” or “very likely” to get vaccinated, down from 52% in 2023.
Drug Topics recently talked with Chijioke Bennett, MD, MPH, MBA, executive director of clinical development at Novavax, about how health care providers can increase awareness around the importance of COVID-19 vaccines, how they can help patients overcome vaccine hesitancy, and how to help patients decide which vaccine is right for them.
To watch the full exclusive interview with Chijioke Bennett, click here and sign-up for free access.
Drug Topics: There is much less urgency around COVID-19 now that cases and deaths are down significantly. How can health care providers increase awareness about the risk factors for COVID-19 and why vaccination is important?
Chijioke Bennett, MD, MPH, MBA: I think one of the things that people have suffered is what I've called COVID fatigue. Even though we are psychologically tired of hearing about COVID, the virus is still very much amongst us. I think one thing that healthcare providers, my colleagues, can do is keep that message coming and keep talking to patients. Keep recommending getting vaccinations, keep recommending having that conversation with your healthcare providers.
I was looking at the CDC data and there's been an uptick in COVID cases in the past 4 weeks. My wife actually has COVID now as we speak. It's been crazy just to see those people get the disease because for some reason, we believe this lie that we've told ourselves that because it's not a headline news item anymore, it's gone away. I think doctors have to walk away from that bias. Yes, your patients are tired, but you are the professional here. You're the one who understands the impact of this disease, short term and long term. It's part of our Hippocratic oath and responsibility to tell them, “Hey, listen, you still need to get the vaccines and we have really great options available for you. Whatever you can do now to get the vaccines, make sure you do that.”
Drug Topics: What ways can pharmacies help remind patients of the importance of COVID-19 vaccines and make sure patients follow through with vaccination appointments?
Bennett: The one thing pharmacies can easily do is just put up signage, put up information in the pharmacies. People come in, let them see things that remind them, “Oh, we can get you a vaccine here.” But even above and beyond is to make the vaccines easily accessible. People have complained of some difficulty in getting the vaccines in local pharmacies and so, they have to travel to sort of more regional pharmacies. I think as the pharmacies understand the need and the desire of participants to have an ease of access, if they can make that available to them, and you can actually walk into your local pharmacy, where you get all your other prescriptions filled, and get a vaccine, that'll be really helpful for people in the community.
Drug Topics: Some health care providers have stopped recommending COVID-19 vaccines to their patients due to constant push back. What are some ways providers can overcome this obstacle?
Bennett: I think just being honest with them. One thing that the pandemic really eroded was that physician-patient trust. I think we have to walk that back into the mix, and have your patients being able to trust you [again]. I think just having that honest conversation with them, recognize, yes, you might not feel the need, particularly because maybe you're in your 20s or 30s, but you're part of a community, and we have people in your neighborhood, people in your families, who are more vulnerable, who are more susceptible to severe disease. So do it, if not for you, but for them.
I think part of what would really be helpful is having a wider picture, and not just the individual, but more the community, and regaining that patient-physician trust that we sort of saw wane as the pandemic progressed. So, if there's something we can get our physicians, my colleagues, to do again, don't be afraid to have that conversation. It might be a tad controversial. [Patients] might have a tad bit of resistance about it, but it's really your responsibility to educate them and point them in the right path. You don't have to make them, but give them all the information, as much as you can, in an empathetic, educated way that allows them to make an informed decision.
READ MORE: COVID-19 Resource Center
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