Online misinformation and vaccine hesitancy

Abstract

Lay Summary Vaccine hesitancy, the rejection or delay to get vaccinated even if there is an effective vaccine available, may be instrumental in the resurgence of vaccine-preventable disease. Studies have shown that the rise in nonmedical exemptions for vaccination increases rates of childhood vaccine-preventable disease. One factor that influences vaccine hesitancy is online misinformation. False or misleading information online regarding vaccines can be found in independent news outlets, websites, and social media. The spread of vaccine misinformation is especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic as false information can decrease pro-vaccine opinions. The recent announcement of an effective COVID-19 vaccine became a hot topic online, with many adults hesitant to take the vaccine. Public health experts, medical professionals, and pro-vaccine individuals can help curb the spread of misinformation by correcting false statements online. Social media companies can also aid in stopping misinformation by implementing and enforcing policy that limits misinformation on their platforms.

COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy: The Role of Information Sources and Beliefs in Dutch Adults

“…Since the pandemic, many people may have been exposed to misinformation that has led to a new fake news pandemic. Hence, governments need to invest in strategies aimed at developing new algorithms to identify vaccine misinformation, as well as to implement and enforce bans on the content and advertising on their websites that contain misinformation [ 49 ]. Governments and public health organisations should actively focus on fostering informed decision-making by not only providing relevant and reliable information but also by encouraging people to check the quality of their information sources.…”

The Uptake and Vaccination Willingness of COVID-19 Vaccine among Chinese Residents: Web-Based Online Cross-Sectional Study

“…This is inconsistent with the results of previous studies. In general, the internet played a role in promoting anti-vaccine campaigns [41], and various media, especially social media, were essential in shaping vaccine-related public opinion [16,42], while a large number of false information disseminated on the internet would make people have wrong and negative views on vaccines and deter them from vaccination [16,[43][44][45][46]. The results of this study are related to the fact that China has attached great importance to the prevention and control of COVID-19 and vaccine publicity, and that people tend to pay attention to the information provided by authoritative information channels in order to obtain effective vaccine information in a timely manner.…”

Successive Pandemic Waves with Different Virulent Strains and the Effects of Vaccination for SARS-CoV-2

“…Brazil and France vaccinated proportionally the same at this date, but France presented a more significant resistance against it, as in contrast to Brazil, the absolute availability of vaccines in France was higher for both adults and children [ 50 ]. Although it is a global problem, vaccine refusal has been properly studied mostly in the US [ 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 ]. Both vaccine inequality and hesitancy are likely to cause the spread of new variants [ 56 ].…”