Takeaways from the latest Hastings Conversations on Vaccine Access, Hesitancy
For the United States to achieve robust community protection from Covid-19, 75% to 85% of the population will need to be vaccinated, and yet only about 60% of adults say they intend to get a shot. Improving vaccination rates will require addressing vaccine hesitancy and bringing more vaccination sites into neighborhoods, concluded a Hastings Center webinar this week that featured Rhea Boyd, a pediatrician and public health advocate; Maya Goldenberg, author of a recent book on vaccine hesitancy; and Hastings Center President Mildred Solomon. Other takeaways: 1) To address vaccine hesitancy more effectively, we need to frame it not as a consequence of poor science literacy but rather as a problem of trust; people need to trust that experts have their interest at heart. 2) Black people are not inherently vaccine-hesitant; their relatively low Covid vaccination rates are mainly a function of access—difficulty getting to vaccination sites that are situated too far away. 3) We need to bring vaccination to the people, including in their homes. Learn more and watch the discussion here.
In the Media: Reopen Nursing Homes; Covid Vaccination During Pregnancy
The Week publishes an essay about a new Hastings Bioethics Forum post on the ethics of overprotecting nursing home residents against Covid. While pandemic restrictions on nursing home life are beginning to loosen, “the mandatory social isolation of residents remains largely in place” and “it is no longer clear that the benefit of continued restrictions outweighs the harm.” The Hastings Bioethics Forum post was written by the Long-Term Care Workgroup of the Empire State Bioethics Consortium, which includes Hastings Center research scholar Nancy Berlinger. Read The Week essay. Read the Hastings Bioethics Forum essay.
NPR quotes Hastings Center senior advisor Faith Fletcher about getting doctor-patient communication right when the conversation is about vaccination during pregnancy. While the latest research shows that Covid vaccines are safe and effective during pregnancy, there were questions a few months ago, when doctors tended to leave the vaccination decision up to their pregnant patients. Fletcher said that supporting patients as they sort through difficult medical decisions is about more than quoting data. “It’s really about centering the patients and their families,” she said. “It’s important that patients are involved in their care.” Read the NPR article.
Call for Nominations: 2021 David Roscoe Award for an Early-Career Scholar's Essay on Science, Ethics, and Society
Artificial intelligence, Crispr gene editing, and other powerful new technologies have profound implications for society. How can we reap the benefits, while minimizing harms? What kind of society do we want to build with our new powers? The Hastings Center invites nominations for The David Roscoe Award for an Early-Career Scholar’s Essay on Science, Ethics, and Society. The award is a demonstration of The Hastings Center’s commitment to public engagement, including excellent writing for the general public. Hastings is especially interested in supporting public-facing writing by early-career scholars out of recognition that this kind of writing is not encouraged by many academic institutions. This award, named in honor of a recent past chair of the Hastings board, includes a prize of $2,000. Nomination deadline: July 6. Learn more and nominate an essay.
Upcoming Events
"Questioning Cure: Disability, Identity, and Healing." Disabled writers and educators Anand Prahlad, Ann Millett-Gallant, and Karen Nakamura discuss how the idea of cure has shaped their own lives and how we can think beyond cure. May 11, 3 pm EST.
"Planning for Seniors Housing in Changing Cities: A Cross National Exchange." Hastings Center research scholar Nancy Berlinger will speak on priority topics related to seniors housing. May 11-12, 12 pm EST.
"Binocularity: A Conceptual Tool for Comprehending and Respecting Persons." Senior research scholar Erik Parens will be presenting as part of the Montreal Health Ethics Conference Series 2021: Wellness, Health, and Human Flourishing. May 27, 12 pm EST.
"Do Genetic Findings Impact Perceptions of Responsibility?" sponsored by the Center for Research on Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of Psychiatric, Neurologic & Behavioral Genetics and Columbia Irvine Medical Center in collaboration with The Hastings Center. May 28, 9 am EST.
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