Building confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine

While many wait anxiously for the time when the COVID-19 vaccine will be available more widely, others continue to express hesitance for a variety of reasons. This reluctance is prompting public health outreach efforts to provide answers to questions that may help overcome anxieties associated with receiving the vaccine.

Experts say that 75% to 85% of the population needs to get vaccinated in order to achieve herd immunity necessary to protect everyone, including those who are unable to get vaccinated due to health risks or limited access to health care. UF Health has developed a website and is planning outreach efforts to help ensure as many as possible feel confident in receiving the vaccine.

UF Health has also produced brief video-recorded answers to commonly asked questions featuring UF Health experts, including Folakemi Odedina, Ph.D., a professor in UF’s colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine whose research focuses on the predictors of health disparities and cost-effective, community-based behavioral interventions to improve the health among minority and underserved communities. You can view one such video below and find the full playlist here.