Kevin Sneed, dean of the pharmacy school at the University of South Florida, has been educating the Tampa Bay community about COVID-19 vaccines since clinical trials were underway as part of an organization he directs called WE-CARE.
It encourages people of color to participate in medical research.
Sneed said many people he encountered resisted the vaccines because they were wary of “the unknowns” in terms of how they worked and how they were developed. But he said engagement efforts are paying off.
“I think people have been a little more inquisitive, they've been more willing to receive information; and health care providers and public health officials, we've been far more willing to take the time to answer those questions from people in communities,” Sneed said. “So, there has been an evolution in terms of overall trust over time that has improved.”
Still, Sneed said there is a lot more work to do. He said he is especially concerned that false ideas that the vaccines cause infertility or involve injecting microchips into people still persist.
He said it is important to continue education efforts, but also to be transparent about any vaccine-related events that cause concern, as scientists and health officials are still learning about them.
Contributing to those education efforts, USF experts took part in a virtual event Friday. The Trust and Vaccines event featured representatives from USF’s Taneja College of Pharmacy and Bishop Center for Ethical Leadership. They discussed some of the reasons for vaccine hesitancy and explored efforts to provide credible information to the community.
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