Dr. Paul Offit: ‘Right Now We’re Probably at the Lowest Level of Vaccine Confidence, Certainly in My Lifetime’

EXCERPT:

OFFIT: “Well, you’re certainly right. I think that during the last five years of this pandemic, especially the first two years of the pandemic, I think we lost the public’s trust. Which is ironic in the sense that we had a vaccine that clearly saved about three million American lives, and there were at least 250,000 people who, by choosing not to get a vaccine, lost their lives. But I think the communication, I think, probably could have been done a little more out in the open in terms of how policy decisions were being made. I think we had to be humble right from the beginning because you learn as you go. And I don’t think we adequately showed how we really did need to learn as we go. We’re building the airplane while it’s in the air. Maybe our statements were a little too definitive. And I think that put people off. So right now, we, I think, are probably at the lowest level of vaccine confidence, certainly in my lifetime.”