INCREASE Corona Workshop Series: Social aspects of vaccination against COVID-19

Monday 21 February 2022 – 12:30 Berlin – 15:00 Tehran (via Webex)

Registration:

https://fu-berlin.webex.com/fu-berlin-en/j.php?RGID=rdf98caa6f8ab32f96574387737f6a3cd

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, declared by the WHO on 11 March 2020, countries have reacted differently depending on their context-specific capacities and realities. Differences in development and socio-demographic indicators such as poverty and access to healthcare seem to have played a relevant role in the progress of the SARS‑CoV‑2 virus within different population groups. Perhaps for that reason, the idea of considering COVID-19 from a ‘syndemic’[1] perspective is gaining momentum. Beyond that, the pandemic has also triggered unprecedented international efforts and scientific collaboration in developing an effective vaccine against the virus, with some remarkable achievements but also some questionings have raised (see for example the concerns around the AstraZeneca vaccine in Europe and the USA). Today, one of the main challenges for governments in the coming months (or years) will be to provide effective communication about the benefits (as well as risks) of vaccination against the SARS‑CoV‑2 virus. Dismantling misleading information regarding to COVID-19 vaccines with coherent messages between politicians, public health authorities and scientists will increase trust and confidence among population, which is fundamental to mobilize the wider level of public support needed to adopt measures effectively.

In addition to previous and ongoing debates, which mainly go around procurement and, in some cases, also around vaccine safety, we have observed that achieving high vaccination rates will be one of the main societal challenges for the foreseeable future. In the second workshop, we expect to address the ethics around COVID-19 vaccination as well as the challenges (from a societal point of view) in achieving herd immunity: people’s fears, types of communication strategies, social trust, and the like. While countries like Germany, Iran, and others are progressing to herd immunity, hesitancy and rejection to COVID-19 vaccines are gaining more attention, and sometimes creating concerns among health authorities. If certain (relatively large) groups of population are not vaccinated, this may compromise country’s campaigns and wipe out costly efforts made against the pandemic.

Likewise, the ongoing pandemic reminds us that international cooperation is fundamental for disaster and crisis management. The Corona crisis brings to light how far away we are from an effective international or even global cooperation for mutual help beyond all varying beliefs, political differences, economic or personal interests. The asymmetrical distribution of vaccines provides the most obvious example. Such an international cooperation is hardly possible on an ad hoc basis but needs long-term commitment, respectful communication and efficiently working infrastructures.

In this regard, the second workshop seeks to meet experts from Germany and Iran to share experiences and discuss approaches around vaccination hesitancy and skepticism in both countries. The workshop aims to create a network of experts that can dialogue around ongoing pandemic developemnts and be a space of learning and discussion to overcome mentioned challenges.

Some of the introductory questions for this first workshop are:

  • What factors (i.e., beliefs and arguments) are supporting vaccine hesitancy and public confidence on vaccination campaigns?
  • What are the limits to freedoms during slow-onset (health) emergency situations like the COVID-19 pandemic? Especially when progress in vaccination campaigns is urgently needed.
  • Beyond vaccine hesitancy, what other social phenomena may risk the development and effectiveness of vaccination campaigns? Are there some specific social groups involved?
  • Others

[1] The term ‘syndemic’ emphasises the resulting synergical interplay between biological, social, cultural, environmental, and political factors in the health of individuals and populations (Fronteira et al., 2021).