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Category Archives: Covid-19

Hidden death toll of COVID-19 pandemic revealed – Earth.com

Posted: February 7, 2024 at 6:20 am

A new study led by the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) challenges prevailing narratives about the causes of excess mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The research has produced compelling evidence that many deaths previously attributed to natural causes were, in fact, uncounted fatalities from COVID-19.

Official COVID-19 mortality statistics have not fully captured deaths attributable to SARS-CoV-2 infection in the United States, wrote the researchers.

While some excess deaths were likely related to pandemic health care interruptions and socioeconomic disruptions, temporal correlations between reported COVID-19 deaths and excess deaths reported to non-COVID-19 natural causes suggest that many of those excess deaths were unrecognized COVID-19 deaths.

The investigation represents a significant stride in understanding the true toll of the pandemic.

Kristin Urquiza co-founded Marked By COVID, a justice and remembrance movement, after losing her father to COVID. This study documents the deadliness of COVID-19 and the effectiveness of public health interventions, said Urquiza. The least we can do to honor those who died is to accurately account for what happened.

The official count of COVID-19 deaths in the United States stands at nearly 1.17 million, according to federal data. However, this figure is believed to be an underestimation, as suggested by multiple excess mortality studies.

Excess mortality refers to the number of deaths during a given time period that surpasses the number expected under normal circumstances.

Until now, the challenge has been to determine whether these additional deaths were directly due to COVID-19 or resulted from indirect consequences of the pandemic, such as healthcare disruptions or socioeconomic factors.

In collaboration with researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, the BUSPH team provides the first definitive evidence linking a significant portion of excess deaths during the pandemic directly to COVID-19, rather than to non-COVID natural causes like chronic illnesses.

By analyzing monthly data on natural-cause deaths and reported COVID-19 fatalities across 3,127 U.S. counties from March 2020 to August 2022, the team discovered that spikes in non-COVID natural cause deaths coincided with or preceded surges in COVID-19 deaths in most regions. This pattern suggests that many deaths were misclassified and should have been attributed to COVID-19.

Our findings show that many COVID-19 deaths went uncounted during the pandemic. Surprisingly, these undercounts persisted well beyond the initial phase of the pandemic, said study co-author Dr. Andrew Stokes, who has led numerous studies analyzing excess mortality patterns and drivers during the pandemic.

According to Dr. Stokes, the temporal correlation between reported COVID-19 deaths and excess deaths reported to non-COVID-19 natural causes offers insight into the causes of these deaths.

We observed peaks in non-COVID-19 excess deaths in the same or prior month as COVID-19 deaths, a pattern consistent with these being unrecognized COVID-19 deaths that were missed due to low community awareness and a lack of COVID-19 testing.

Study lead author Eugenio Paglino, a PhD student at UPenn, noted that if the primary explanation for these deaths were healthcare interruptions and delays in care, the non-COVID excess deaths would likely occur after a peak in reported COVID-19 deaths and subsequent interruptions in care. However, this pattern was not observed nationally or in any of the geographic subregions we assessed, said Paglino.

The study also disproves any claims that mortality during the pandemic can be attributed to COVID-19 vaccinations or shelter-in-place policies.

Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, founding director of the Boston University Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Policy and Research, said that the research is important because our ability to detect and correctly assign deaths during an epidemic goes to the heart of our understanding of the disease and how we organize our response.

The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Switching arms improves effectiveness of two-dose vaccinations, OHSU study suggests – OHSU News

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An OHSU-led study finds a substantial increase in antibody response to two-dose vaccinations when the vaccine was administered into each arm instead of both vaccines administered intoone arm. (OHSU/Christine Torres Hicks)

New research reveals as much as a four-fold increase in immune response when people alternate from one arm to the other when given a multi-dose vaccine.

The laboratory study led by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University measured the antibody response in the blood of 947 people who received two-dose vaccinations against COVID-19 early in the pandemic. Participants included OHSU employees who agreed to enroll in research while getting vaccinated against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and were randomized to get the second dose in either the same or the opposite arm as the first dose.

The study waspublishedrecently in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Historically, clinicians thought that arm choice didnt matter.

The new study tested serum samples collected at various times after vaccination. They found a substantial increase in the magnitude and breadth of the antibody response among people who had contralateral or a shot in each arm boosting compared with those who did not.

The improved response clearly materialized three weeks after the second booster and persisted beyond 13 months after boosting. Investigators found heightened immunity to the original SARS-CoV-2 strain, and an even stronger immune response to the omicron variant that emerged roughly a year after arm alternation.

Marcel Curlin, M.D. (OHSU)

Researchers arent sure why this happens, but they speculate that giving a shot in each arm activates new immune responses in different lymph nodes in each arm.

By switching arms, you basically have memory formation in two locations instead of one, said senior author Marcel Curlin, M.D., associate professor of medicine (infectious diseases) in the OHSU School of Medicine and medical director of OHSU Occupational Health.

OHSU had the opportunity to examine the question as part of a series of laboratory studies using blood drawn from willing employees beginning early in the COVID-19 pandemic. That line of research has produced a series of published studies related to the durability, breadth and potency of immune response following vaccination and breakthrough infections.

After vaccines became available in late 2020, some participants wondered whether it made a difference if they alternated arms in the two-dose regimen.

This question hasnt really been extensively studied, so we decided to check it out, Curlin said. It turned out to be one of the more significant things weve found, and its probably not limited to just COVID vaccines. We may be seeing an important immunologic function.

Among the people in the study who agreed to switch arms, researchers matched 54 pairs for age, gender and relevant time intervals between vaccination and exposure half getting the two doses in one arm and half in both.

Two weeks after the second dose, researchers didnt see much of a difference in immune response. After three weeks, however, researchers measured significantly greater numbers of antibodies capable of binding and neutralizing the SARS-CoV-2 virus in blood samples. The rates progressively increased over four weeks from 1.3-fold to as much as a 4-fold increase against the omicron variant of the virus.

Any incremental improvement might save a lot of lives, Curlin said.

At this point, most people have long since been exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus multiple times either through vaccination, infection or both.

Although the new study focused on vaccination against COVID-19, researchers say they expect the improved immune response could be similar for other multidose vaccinations. They call for further research to determine whether contralateral vaccination improves immune response for other vaccines, and especially among children.

Several prime-boost vaccine regimens are essential components of pediatric care, and immune responses may differ in children, they write.

Curlin said further study is needed and it is too soon to make clinical recommendations based on the results of this study. If and when a new virus emerges requiring a new two-dose vaccine, Curlin said he wont hesitate.

Im going to switch up my arms, he said.

In addition to Curlin, co-authors include Sedigheh Fazli, Archana Thomas, Abram Estrada, David Xthona Lee, Steven Kazmierczak, Ph.D., Mark Slifka, Ph.D., and Bill Messer, M.D., Ph.D., of OHSU; Hiro Ross, a former OHSU medical student now doing residency at the University of California, Los Angeles; and David Montefiori, Ph.D., of Duke University.

The study was supported by the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust; the OHSU Foundation; and the National Institutes of Health award R01AI145835 and P51OD011092. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funders.

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Tributes paid to Irish health official ‘central’ to EU Covid-19 response – The Irish Times

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Tributes have been paid to a senior Irish official who played a central role in developing European Union health policies and managing the Covid-19 crisis who has died shortly after retirement.

John Ryan (65) moved into the European Commission from the Irish civil service and went on to hold a series of senior roles, particularly in public health, becoming the deputy director general of the bodys health department DG Sante.

His death in recent days drew heartfelt tributes from various public health organisations and EU officials who remembered him as a kind man with a brilliant intellect.

The European commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides said he had been central to the EUs Covid-19 response, as well as to the blocs policy on countering cancer.

His memory and his contribution will be cherished, she said, adding that she had been deeply saddened by the news.

The World Health Organisations (WHO) regional director for Europe Hans Kluge said that Mr Ryan had left an indelible mark on public health and a rich legacy. His contribution was instrumental in creating EU-wide responses to health challenges, according to the WHO.

Several civil society organisations issued statements in memory of his contribution. He was recalled as one of our communitys major champions by the rare diseases network Eurordis, while Mental Health Europe called him a powerful voice and advocate. The alliance of civil society health organisations, EU4health, described him as a true public health champion who had made an an indelible mark on our collective pursuit of better health for all over decades of service.

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Court: Not wearing mask during COVID-19 health emergency isn’t protected speech – Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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TRENTON, N.J. >> A federal appeals court shot down claims Monday that New Jersey residents refusal to wear face masks at school board meetings during the COVID-19 outbreak constituted protected speech under the First Amendment.

The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling in two related cases stemming from lawsuits against officials in Freehold and Cranford, New Jersey.

The suits revolved around claims that the plaintiffs were retaliated against by school boards because they refused to wear masks during public meetings. In one of the suits, the court sent the case back to a lower court for consideration. In the other, it said the plaintiff failed to show she was retaliated against.

Still, the court found that refusing to wear a mask during a public health emergency didnt amount to free speech protected by the Constitution.

A question shadowing suits such as these is whether there is a First Amendment right to refuse to wear a protective mask as required by valid health and safety orders put in place during a recognized public health emergency. Like all courts to address this issue, we conclude there is not, the court said.

The court added: Skeptics are free to and did voice their opposition through multiple means, but disobeying a masking requirement is not one of them. One could not, for example, refuse to pay taxes to express the belief that taxes are theft. Nor could one refuse to wear a motorcycle helmet as a symbolic protest against a state law requiring them.

Ronald Berutti, an attorney for the appellants, said they intend to petition the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case.

The lawsuits were filed by George Falcone and Gwyneth Murray-Nolan.

Falcone attended a Freehold Township school board meeting in early 2022 when masks were still required. He refused, according to the courts ruling, and was issued a summons on a trespassing charge. He also alleged a later school board meeting was canceled in retaliation for his not wearing a mask. A lower court found he didnt have standing to bring the suit, and he appealed.

Murray-Nolan, who had testified before lawmakers on her skepticism toward the efficacy of masking, attended an early 2022 Cranford school board meeting without a mask despite a requirement for them. Less than a month later at the boards next meeting, she was arrested on a defiant trespass charge after attending without a mask. A lower court found officers had probable cause to arrest her because she failed to wear a mask as required under the law at the time. She appealed.

Eric Harrison, an attorney for the officials named in the suit, lauded the ruling today. In an emailed statement he said that refusing to wear a mask in violation of a public health mandate is not the sort of civil disobedience that the drafters of the First Amendment had in mind as protected speech.

New Jerseys statewide order for public masking in schools ended in March 2022, shortly after the incidents described in the suits.

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One arm or two? How you get vaccinated may make a difference – The Seattle Times

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One arm or two? How you get vaccinated may make a difference  The Seattle Times

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70% of kindergarteners didn’t pass readiness test in pandemic, study estimates – University of Minnesota Twin Cities

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Seven of 10 kindergarteners in Cincinnati Public Schoolsthe vast majority racial minority studentswere deemed not ready to learn in the classroom in 2021, confirming the damaging effects of COVID-19 pandemicdisruptions, according to a study published yesterday in JAMA Pediatrics.

Before the pandemic, 60% were not ready for kindergarten, the findings revealed.

A team led by Cincinnati Children's Hospital researchers analyzed the scores of 4,755 kindergarteners who took the state-required Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) in 2018, 2019, or 2021 (no test was administered in 2020 owing to pandemic restrictions). They did the same with 3,204 matched children with electronic health record data from the hospital's primary care clinics.

The KRA measures skills in early reading and math, gross and fine motor tasks, self-regulation, and attention through 27 teacher-administered questions and tasks.The assessments are scored on a scale of 0 to 300, with 270 considered passing. Average participant age was 5.6 years, 50.3% were boys, 82.5% were Black, 7.6% were White, and 2.9% were Hispanic.

"Early experiences, relationships, and socioeconomic conditions are foundational for early brain development, school readiness, and health outcomes," the study authors wrote. "Racial and socioeconomic opportunity gapsin the skills necessary to learn and succeed in school (including language, preliteracy, math and socioemotional skills such as executive function and self-regulation) start before kindergarten."

They noted that fewer families, especially Black families, used early childhood education (ECE) services and developmental therapies during pandemic disruptions. "Many parents chose not to enroll their children in ECE out of fear of COVID-19 and difficulties navigating the arduous enrollment process," they wrote.

In total, 817 parents (25.5%) reported reading to their child 0 or 1 day a week at least once during the study period, and 865 children (27.0%) didn't pass the age-appropriate, parent-completed Ages & Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) screening questionnaire at least once. Overall, 2,675 children (83.5%) had Medicaid coverage most of the time, 384 (12.0%) experienced food insecurity, and 855 (26.7%) lived with housing insecurity.

Average KRA scores among the primary care patients were significantly lower (260.0; 214 of 998 [21.4%]) in 2021 than in 2019 (262.7; 317 of 1,114 [28.5%]) and 2018 (263.5; 351 of 1,092 [32.1%]), a pattern also seen in the larger school district.

Only 30% of students were deemed kindergarten-ready in 2021, a significant drop from 40% in 2018. Primary care patients displayed a similar pattern, with 21.5% ready for kindergarten in 2021, compared with 32% in 2018.

A final linear regression model involving 2,883 participants identified risk factors for a failing KRA score as a low ASQ score after 18 months of age (6.7 points below average score of 270.8); Medicaid coverage (5.7 points), Hispanic ethnicity (3.8), need for an interpreter (3.6), 2021 testing year (3.5), male sex (2.7), rare parental reading to child (1.5), and food insecurity (1.2). Race, caregiver depression, housing insecurity, and difficulty receiving benefits weren't linked to KRA scores.

"This means that 7 of every 10 children in the Cincinnati Public Schools were considered not ready to learn when they entered kindergarten during the pandemic," lead author Kristen Copeland, MD, said in a hospital news release. "It will take intense effort on multiple levels to help these children overcome this disruption."

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USS Theodore Roosevelt sailors roam free on Guam for first time since COVID-19 outbreak – Stars and Stripes

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Sailors pose with the USS Theodore Roosevelt after the San Diego-based aircraft carrier arrived at Naval Base Guam, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. (U.S. Navy)

The USS Theodore Roosevelt steamed into Guams Apra Harbor on Tuesday for a scheduled port call, where its crew may explore the island for the first time since it was sidelined there during a major COVID-19 outbreak in 2020.

The aircraft carrier was joined by the guided-missile destroyer USS Daniel K. Inouye and a second destroyer, the USS Kidd, was scheduled to arrive shortly thereafter, a spokesman for Carrier Strike Group Nine, Lt. Cmdr. Ben Anderson, told Stars and Stripes by email Wednesday.

The ship last visited Guam in February 2021, but sailors at the time were not allowed to leave a quarantined area, he said.

Theyre under no such restrictions during this port call.

Sailors hold a Dont Give Up the Ship flag aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt at Naval Base Guam, June 3, 2020. (Alexander Williams/U.S. Navy)

Port visits to Guam are a regular occurrence for the U.S. Navy. While here, our Sailors look forward to interacting with the local population and enjoying a much-deserved break in operations, Anderson said.

In March 2020, the Navy ordered the Theodore Roosevelt to Guam after at least 39 crewmembers tested positive for COVID-19 following a four-day stop in Vietnam and just weeks after the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic.

The virus soon spread throughout the crew, and ultimately more than 1,150 of the ships nearly 5,000 sailors were infected, and one died.

The ship remained on Guam until May that year, in a saga that saw sailors move from the ship to hotels in an attempt to stymy the virus spread.

After writing a letter to his superior officers, then-commander Capt. Brett Crozier was relieved of duty by Thomas Modly, acting secretary of the Navy. Modly himself later resigned following a backlash for criticizing Crozier while addressing the carriers crew.

The ships arrival on Tuesday came just a day after the Air Force launched a joint exercise, Cope North, alongside the Marine Corps and Navy that includes 1,700 U.S. personnel and 700 troops from Australia, Canada, France, South Korea and Japan.

The carrier, however, will not be participating in the exercise, Pacific Air Forces spokeswoman 1st Lt. Alyssa Letts said in a text message Wednesday.

The port visit is a routine operation thats part of the U.S. Navys regular presence throughout the Indo-Pacific, the strike group commander, Rear Adm. Christopher Alexander, said in a statement emailed by Anderson.

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Pandemic linked to 14% increase in underweight children in India – Medical Xpress

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Pandemic linked to 14% increase in underweight children in India  Medical Xpress

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COVID and travel: Should I still wear a mask on the plane? – USA TODAY

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Vaccine hesitancy and equity: lessons learned from the past and how they affect the COVID-19 countermeasure in … – Globalization and Health

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A substantial amount of study has been undertaken on vaccine hesitancy and the various elements influencing an individuals decision to accept or not accept a vaccine. SAGE developed three categories based on experience in various countries and comprehensive literature reviews to analyze these issues, referred to as the 3Cs model: complacency (not considering diseases as high-risk and vaccination as crucial), convenience (practical obstacles), and confidence (a lack of trust in vaccine safety and effectiveness) [2, 5]. This model was later revised in 2018, emphasizing the importance of more than just the concept of confidence, and emerged as the 5Cs model (Table1): confidence, complacency, constraints (modification of the term convenience to now include both structural and psychological barriers), calculation (individuals engagement in extensive information searching), and collective responsibility (communal orientation to protect others) [18, 19].

In 2016, Thomson et al. introduced a different taxonomy to explain vaccine uptake determining factors, known as the 5As. They identified five categories regarded as access (the ability of an individual to reach or be reached by vaccination), affordability (the capacity of an individual to afford vaccines either financially or non-financially), awareness (personal knowledge about the importance of vaccination as well as its objectives and risks), acceptance (the degree to accept or refuse vaccination), and activation (motivation/encouragement to receive vaccination) [20].

In the Indonesian context, there have been no studies specifically dedicated to assessing or exploring hesitancy regarding routine vaccination using the 5Cs approach. However, a recent study conducted by Sujarwoto et al. [21], which investigated COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in a district in Indonesia, revealed that respondents held low levels of confidence and complacency beliefs about the vaccine. Furthermore, the study identified more general sources of mistrust within the community, particularly concerning health providers and vaccine developers. However, these factors may vary depending on individual, cultural, and societal contexts. By comprehending these elements, healthcare providers and public health officials can formulate precise strategies to tackle vaccine hesitancy and enhance vaccine acceptance and utilization, as presented in Table 1.

Misinformation and conspiracy theories are widely recognized as critical drivers of vaccine hesitancy. False information about the safety and efficacy of vaccines can spread quickly and easily through social media and other channels, which leading to fear and skepticism about vaccination [22, 23]. One prominent example of vaccine misinformation is the claim that the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine causes autism. As a result, some parents have refused to have their children vaccinated, which in the long term, could lead to outbreaks of measles in specific populations [24, 25].

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia, misinformation and hoaxes have contributed to vaccine hesitancy among parents and caregivers, especially concerning vaccines that require multiple injections as part of routine immunization [26, 27]. The proportion of children who received their primary measles and rubella immunizations experienced a decline from 95% in 2019 to 87% in 2021. Moreover, there has been a substantial increase in the percentage of children who were not administered the diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus (DPT) immunizations, rising from 10% in 2019 to 26% in 2021 [27]. This situation poses a significant risk to children, as it increases their susceptibility to a range of preventable diseases.

Beside misinformation and conspiration theories, lack of trust in government and healthcare institutions could impact the vaccine hesitancy. For instance, the case of Tuskegee Syphilis Study, which was conducted by unethically on African American men, has resulted in Black communities [28] enduring mistrust of government and healthcare institutions. Similarly, in Indonesia, the lack of trust in the government has been triggered by various factors, including past conflicts in certain provinces [29] and the governments response to the COVID-19 situation [30]. This lack of trust is exacerbated by existing disparities in healthcare access and delivery, which could lead people to be hesitant about getting the vaccine due to concerns about unequal distribution and difficulty of access [31, 32].

Next, vaccine safety and adverse effects is commonly stimulating vaccine hesitancy [33]. People may be unwilling to get immunized out because they are worried about adverse reactions, especially if they have a history of allergies or prior medical disorders [19, 33]. In the past, there have been questions about the safety of the HPV vaccine due to claims made by certain people that it can result in chronic discomfort, seizures, and even death [34]. The vaccine is safe and effective, but scientific evidence has shown that these allegations are mainly baseless [34, 35].

Similarly, concerns about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine have been expressed, particularly in light of its rapid development and emergency use authorization [36]. Clinical studies and real-world data have consistently shown that these vaccines are highly effective with minimal risk of severe side effects [37]. However, a national survey on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance conducted by the Ministry of Health of Indonesia, which included 112,888 participants, revealed some concerning results. It showed that 64.8% were willing to take the vaccine, 7.6% were unwilling to take it, and 26.6% were unsure about whether to get vaccinated. Furthermore, participants in the survey expressed various concerns about COVID-19 vaccines. Specifically, 30% were uncertain about the vaccines safety, 22% had reservations about its effectiveness, 12% expressed fears of potential side effects, 8% cited religious or belief-related reasons, and 15% cited other factors [38].

In the social context, previous studies showed that cultural and religious beliefs may also play a role in vaccine hesitancy [39]. Some individuals may be hesitant to get vaccinated due to religious or cultural beliefs that conflict with vaccination, such as the belief that illness is Gods punishment or that alternative remedies are more effective than modern medicine [40].

Concerns about the use of fetal cells in vaccine development and the belief that illnesses are divine punishment have contributed to vaccine reluctance in some Orthodox Jewish communities, for instance [41, 42]. Correspondingly, in Indonesia, a country where approximately 87% of the population is Muslim, concerns have arisen over the use of non-halal components obtained from pork in vaccine formulations. These concerns have the potential to increase vaccine hesitancy in the country [43].

In addition, vaccine hesitancy may be influenced by socioeconomic variables such as low income, educational attainment, and limited healthcare accessibility [44]. Individuals residing in financially disadvantaged conditions may encounter obstacles in accessing vaccinations, such as financial constraints or scheduling conflicts that prevent them from receiving the vaccine promptly, or they may opt not to receive it [44, 45]. Individuals with lower education levels may have a restricted understanding of vaccines and their advantages, rendering them more vulnerable to misinformation [46]. In addition, inadequate healthcare accessibility may impede individuals from obtaining vaccinations on time, while restricted access to precise health information may result in misconceptions or skepticism regarding vaccines [47].

Behavioural scientists have investigated how heuristics, including vaccination, might influence judgement and decision making. Heuristics, a mental shortcut that enables people to solve problems quickly and make intuitive decisions, can be helpful when initiated by the correct variables [48, 49]. However, the influence of wrong circumstances such as misinformation and disinformation, and anti-vaccine movement, can lead to systemic errors or cognitive biases. For example, omission bias occurs when people tend to view harms from the act commission (actions) as more excellent than harms from omission (inactions); confirmation bias refers to the finding that strong initial beliefs are resistant to change because they influence how subsequent information is interpreted; and the Dunning Krueger effect, in which people who lack expertise fail to accurately assess their knowledge in comparison to experts on the subject [49].

Notwithstanding the unwillingness of specific individuals to receive vaccines, it is important to acknowledge the existence and impact of the anti-vaccine movement. They engage in campaigns against vaccines, frequently disseminating inaccurate information and instilling apprehension regarding their safety and efficacy [50]. The current campaign has the potential to generate vaccine hesitancy among individuals who had previously placed their trust in the healthcare system and vaccination initiatives. The outcome is an escalating count of individuals who hesitate or deliberately decline vaccination, resulting in decreased vaccination rates and heightened susceptibility to diseases that vaccines can prevent [50, 51]. Consequently, it is fundamental to acknowledge the apprehensions of individuals who are hesitant towards vaccines and furnish precise information to refute the misinformation propagated by the anti-vaccine movement.

Vaccine hesitancy has been found to be associated with a range of socio-economic and demographic variables. The prevalence of concerns regarding the safety and effectiveness of vaccines is observed to be higher in high-income countries (HICs), as opposed to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where factors such as cultural and religious convictions, unfavorable past encounters with foreign medical interventions and vaccination initiatives, and challenges within healthcare systems are more prevalent [52]. Common factors between the two categories encompass a lack of trust in medical institutions and governmental bodies, the spreading of conspiracy theories, and the dissemination of misinformation through social media [19, 52].

Parents who declined to vaccinate their children or held a pessimistic outlook towards vaccination were found to be more susceptible to demonstrating such apprehensions [53]. The primary rationale cited by parents in India, Nigeria, and Pakistan for abstaining from vaccinating their children was the perceived risk of adverse effects associated with immunization. The apprehension regarding severe adverse effects may stem from prior encounters with unfavorable incidents after immunization, which may be attributed to the vaccination process [54,55,56]. This, together with the belief that vaccines may cause harm, has led to the perception that vaccinations result in adverse reactions such as fever. Furthermore, a commonly reported conjecture was that the polio vaccine administration was linked to adult sterility, leading to a significant number of parents declining to immunize their children with the vaccine [56].

In the Indonesian context, vaccine hesitancy can be attributed to various factors, given the countrys middle-income status. The complexity of the issue presents a significant challenge [26]. Vaccine hesitancy in Indonesia is a multifaceted problem that requires tailored and collaborative efforts across various sectors. Despite the governments initiatives to improve vaccination rates, there remains a substantial gap in our understanding of the factors influencing vaccine acceptance and hesitancy [26, 57].

Furthermore, it is critical to highlight the significant disparities in vaccine coverage observed across Indonesias nationwide measles and rubella (MR) immunization program. Coverage rates vary widely among districts, ranging from as low as 2% to as high as 100%. Notably, more than one-third of districts report coverage rates below the established threshold of 70%. The link between the discontinuation of vaccination programs due to hesitancy and the subsequent decline in coverage rates is well-established [26].

Moreover, the hesitancy to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Indonesia has been found to be highly correlated with various socio-demographic characteristics, including age, residential location, educational attainment, employment status, and family economic situation. Participants from Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam exhibited a higher degree of hesitancy towards receiving COVID-19 vaccines compared to their counterparts from the Philippines [58].

Additionally, concerns about vaccine safety have played a substantial role in shaping public discourse. Negative perceptions of vaccine safety, including anxieties about the rapid pace of vaccine development, have been identified as a primary driver of hesitancy. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) like Indonesia, where documented COVID-19 cases and fatalities have been relatively lower, individuals may perceive the disease as less severe, leading to reduced willingness to accept any potential risks associated with vaccination [59].

Finally, it is worth emphasizing that confidence in routine vaccinations has declined amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This trend has been observed in numerous countries, with some experiencing a significant decrease of up to 44 percentage points. The diminishing confidence level, coupled with the unique challenges faced by LMICs, has further exacerbated vaccine hesitancy in Indonesia [60].

In high-income countries, vaccine hesitancy could originate from complacency, as vaccine-preventable diseases have declined in these regions. In 2019, there were more than 1200 reported measles cases across 31 states in the United States [61]. This trend can be partially attributed to vaccine hesitancy [62]. Certain parents resisted vaccinating their children because of concerns regarding vaccines safety and probable negative consequences. Meanwhile, a few others declined vaccination due to their religious or philosophical convictions. The epidemic underscored the necessity for enhanced instruction and consciousness regarding the importance of immunizations, alongside endeavors to counteract the dissemination of false information concerning immunizations and enhance immunization availability. In Europe, there have been recent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and mumps [27, 63], which have been attributed to vaccine hesitancy. Vaccine hesitancy in certain nations is linked to a dearth of confidence in governmental and healthcare establishments, alongside a conviction that vaccines are superfluous owing to advancements in sanitation and hygiene. These outbreaks have led to demands for heightened vaccination rates and initiatives aimed at addressing vaccine hesitancy through public awareness drives and improved availability of vaccines.

Moreover, a contentious issue exists regarding the administration of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which further exacerbates hesitancy [34]. Although the vaccine has demonstrated effectiveness in preventing cervical cancer and other diseases associated with HPV, some parents in developed countries are unwilling to immunize their children due to worries regarding the vaccines safety and potential negative consequences. The safety concerns surrounding the HPV vaccine were subject to investigation in Denmark [64]. The media initiated coverage of purported unfavorable occurrences concerning Danish females, encompassing a documentary that portrayed a cohort of girls exhibiting diverse incapacitating symptoms that were presumed to have been induced by HPV vaccination. The findings indicate a rapid decline in the utilization of HPV vaccination in the specified nation during the period spanning from 2009 to 2014 [64]. In certain instances, the reluctance has been intensified by inaccurate information propagated through social media and other communication platforms. As a result, the vaccination rates for HPV in certain high-income nations have persisted below the recommended levels set by public health authorities, leading to a continued susceptibility to HPV-associated illnesses among those who have not received the vaccine.

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Vaccine hesitancy and equity: lessons learned from the past and how they affect the COVID-19 countermeasure in ... - Globalization and Health

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