William Schaffner, MD, on Racial Differences in COVID-19 Vaccination Acceptance

In this soundbite, William Schaffner, MD, speaks about the differences in COVID-19 vaccination intent and factors that affect COVID-19 vaccination acceptance, including what is being done to bridge gaps and encourage uptake in the Black population. This topic was presented at the 2021 virtual Annual Conference on Vaccinology Research sponsored by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. 

Additional Resource:

• Wagner A, Wileden L, Shanks T, et al. Mediators of racial differences in COVID-19 vaccination intent in Detroit, Michigan. Presented at: 2021 Annual Conference on Vaccinology Research 2021; April 26-27, 2021; Virtual. https://acvr.nfid.org/research-highlights/

William Schaffner, MD, is the medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) and is a professor of preventive medicine in the Department of Health Policy and a professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee.

TRANSCRIPTION:

Jessica Bard: Hello everyone. Welcome to another installment of "Podcast 360," your go‑to resource for medical news and clinical updates. I'm your moderator, Jessica Bard with Consultant360 Specialty Network.

The annual conference on vaccinology research has brought together infectious disease researchers and public health experts from around the world for more than 20 years. It's sponsored by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.

The NFID medical director, Dr William Schaffner, is here to speak with us about some of the most, timely topics presented at the 2021 Virtual Annual Conference on Vaccinology Research. Thank you for joining us today, Dr Schaffner.

The COVID‑19 pandemic has taken a disproportionate toll on the Black population. What are the racial differences in COVID‑19 vaccination intent, and factors that affect COVID‑19 vaccination acceptance? What can be done to bridge the gap and encourage uptake in the Black population?

Dr William Schaffner: This is very important, not only for the African American population but for any ethnic group. These folks did a survey back in October 2020. Things have changed since then. Even back then, they did a well‑done survey.

They noticed that in Detroit, Michigan, only 32 percent of people who were Black back then expressed an intent to be vaccinated compared to 58 percent of people who were non‑Black.

Even if the Black people who were surveyed had a greater experience of having friends or family die than the non‑Black population, they still were more reluctant to say that they would be vaccinated.

What did come through loud and clear was that trust in their healthcare provider was the biggest influence in changing their behavior, and their willingness to receive vaccine.

This is, of course, true for all vaccines and reinforces the importance of individual discussion with a trusted healthcare provider. It's clear we need even more studies to help us understand this racial and ethnic divide in our country in the acceptance of vaccine.

In the meantime, we as healthcare providers can reach out to everybody who's in our practices, and do our best to persuade them to be vaccinated and take advantage of this important preventive health service.

Jessica: Thank you very much for your time today, Dr Schaffner. I enjoyed speaking with you.

Dr Schaffner: My great pleasure. Remember my favorite saying, "When in doubt, vaccinate."