Politicizing public health: the powder keg of rushing COVID-19 vaccines

ABSTRACT

Vaccine hesitancy is on the rise, as more individuals are delaying or refusing vaccines. This rise in hesitancy has been primarily driven by vaccine safety concerns, even though the vaccine development process is regulated by a robust and rigorous scientific system. Recent data suggest that many individuals would be unwilling to take a COVID-19 vaccine, once one is available. The Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed aims to deliver a vaccine in the near future, even though no American or European COVID-19 vaccine has yet completed Phase 3 trials. The administration has used the emergency use authorization mechanism to fast track therapeutic products through the Food and Drug Administration and has not ruled out using the mechanism to fast track a COVID-19 vaccine. Perceived political pressure to push a COVID-19 vaccine will have a multitude of negative consequences. Not only will it lead to sub-optimal levels of vaccine acceptance toward a COVID-19 vaccine, it will reverse progress made in controlling vaccine preventable disease for years to come.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19 vaccines
• vaccine safety
• vaccine acceptance
• vaccine approval
• vaccine hesitancy

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest

The authors confirm that there are no known conflicts of interest associated with this publication.