Vaccine-hesitant people have legitimate concerns that must be addressed

National Magazine Michael Brendan Dougherty faced a torrent of criticism (much of it in bad faith) over the weekend for pointing out the obvious: Vaccine outreach efforts will continue to fail if people who reach out treat vaccine skeptics like ignorant idiots.

As is often the case, Dougherty's critics proved their point. Here's what they think of you in the field, attending church, and wearing aluminum foil hats:

Hostility towards vaccine hesitation makes a lot more sense once you understand why there are still many in the field of vaccines. Not all are conspiracy theorists and they are not idiots. They are people who have been defrauded and misled by public health officials, and the concerns that have arisen from this breach of trust are legitimate. Critics of Dougherty know this, but they'd rather dismiss the skeptics as non-serious fools than admit that maybe, just maybe, they're right.

We were told that the country would be closed for two weeks to slow the spread of COVID-19 and prevent the health system from being invaded by positive cases. Those two weeks turned into almost a year and a half. They also told us not to buy or wear masks because they were ineffective against the virus, and a few months later we were told that we had to wear them at all times.

We were told that schools had to be closed for an entire school year due to the virus, although almost everyone knew that children were not at risk. Are yet told that young children who are not eligible for the vaccine should be required to wear face masks even if they are not at risk yet.

Vice President Kamala Harris and several other Democratic officials led us to believe that vaccines developed by the Trump administration's Operation Warp Speed ​​might not be safe. And the Food and Drug Administration led us to believe that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine could cause serious and potentially fatal side effects when the agency temporarily withdrew it due to reports of rare blood clots. And a couple of months after the FDA reinstated the J&J vaccine, the agency was forced to warn the public about a possible link between the vaccine and Guillain-Barré syndrome.

The point is this: The government repeatedly lied to us, imposed long-lasting restrictions that were often not supported by scientific data, exaggerated the risk of COVID-19 to children and young adults, and downplayed the safety and efficacy of the vaccine being used. was using. it is supposed to signal the end of the pandemic. Given the extent and magnitude of the mistakes made by public health officials during the pandemic, it is actually a wonder that more they are not skeptical of vaccines.

This is not to say that the vaccines themselves are not reliable. All available scientific research confirms that coronavirus vaccines are safe and effective. But officials pushing vaccines is it so untrustworthy, and it's impossible to blame those on the fence for not taking them at their word.

That is why it is so important for those of us who do not represent the government and its many failures to reach out to the vacillators and find them where they are. They have lost faith in Dr. Anthony Fauci, but they may be listening to a close friend. The CDC's credibility has skyrocketed, but the confirmed experiences of family members who have already received the vaccine could help bridge the gap.

Not everyone will be convinced, and that's okay. But a genuine attempt to understand the fears that many still have, and an acknowledgment of the many ways that public health officials have failed them, is the only approach that could work.