David Leonhardt of the New York Times wrote about the challenge of “vaccine alarmism,” that is, basically weighing down excellent vaccine findings with too many caveats.  Rather than clarifying, the added layers of information and nuance confuse the public.  Or worse, make them question the value of getting vaccinated. He spoke about this with Kate Grabowski, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins.  Leonhardt reported that she said “The message from experts is being misinterpreted.  That’s on us.  We’re clearly doing something wrong.”

Grabowski told Leonhardt that the fundamental message about vaccines should be: “They’re safe. They’re highly effective against serious disease. And the emerging evidence about infectiousness looks really good. If you have access to a vaccine and you’re eligible, you should get it.”

The new Alliance for Disease Prevention and Response aims to get everyone playing a role in combatting COVID-19 on the same page in terms of messaging, outreach and informing efforts at local, state, tribal and national levels. Shared Cause is honored to partner with the American Public Health Association on this national effort.

For more information, read the announcement here