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. 2022 Jan 6;19(2):644.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19020644.

Closing the Gap on COVID-19 Vaccinations in First Responders and Beyond: Increasing Trust

Megan E Gregory  1   2 , Sarah R MacEwan  2 , Alice A Gaughan  2 , Laura J Rush  2 , Jonathan R Powell  3   4 , Jordan D Kurth  3 , Eben Kenah  5 , Ashish R Panchal  3   4   6 , Ann Scheck McAlearney  1   2   7
Affiliations

Closing the Gap on COVID-19 Vaccinations in First Responders and Beyond: Increasing Trust

Megan E Gregory et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Although COVID-19 vaccines are widely available in the U.S. and much of the world, many have chosen to forgo this vaccination. Emergency medical services (EMS) professionals, despite their role on the frontlines and interactions with COVID-positive patients, are not immune to vaccine hesitancy. Via a survey conducted in April 2021, we investigated the extent to which first responders in the U.S. trusted various information sources to provide reliable information about COVID-19 vaccines. Those vaccinated generally trusted healthcare providers as a source of information, but unvaccinated first responders had fairly low trust in this information source-a group to which they, themselves, belong. Additionally, regardless of vaccination status, trust in all levels of government, employers, and their community as sources of information was low. Free-response explanations provided some context to these findings, such as preference for other COVID-19 management options, including drugs proven ineffective. A trusted source of COVID-19 vaccination information is not readily apparent. Individuals expressed a strong desire for the autonomy to make vaccination decisions for themselves, as opposed to mandates. Potential reasons for low trust, possible solutions to address them, generalizability to the broader public, and implications of low trust in official institutions are discussed.

Keywords: COVID-19; emergency medical services; frontline healthcare workers; medical mistrust; vaccine hesitancy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Differences in trust in government between vaccinated and unvaccinated EMS professionals.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Participant perspectives regarding mistrust in government.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Differences in trust in healthcare and medical sources between vaccinated and unvaccinated EMS professionals.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Participant perspectives regarding mistrust in medical community.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Differences in trust in media between vaccinated and unvaccinated EMS professionals.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Participant perspectives regarding mistrust in media.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Differences in trust in employer and community between vaccinated and unvaccinated EMS professionals.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Participant perspectives regarding mistrust in employer and community.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Differences in trust in no sources between vaccinated and unvaccinated EMS professionals.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Participant perspectives regarding trust in other options to manage COVID-19.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Participant perspectives regarding autonomy to decide about vaccination.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Participant perspectives regarding booster shots.
Figure 13
Figure 13
Recommended messaging around COVID-19 vaccination.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. World Health Organization COVID-19 Vaccines. 2021. [(accessed on 27 September 2021)]. Available online: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/covid-19....
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Vaccinations in the United States. [(accessed on 20 September 2021)];2021 Available online: https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations_vacc-total-admin-....
    1. Mayo Clinic U.S. COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker: See Your State’s Progress. 2021. [(accessed on 27 September 2021)]. Available online: https://www.mayoclinic.org/coronavirus-covid-19/vaccine-tracker.
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Delta Variant: What We Know about the Science. [(accessed on 16 August 2021)];2021 Available online: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/variants/delta-variant.html.

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