Atleast 1/3 of Britons may not take coronavirus vaccine

A recent poll conducted by YouGov for the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) found that at least 31% of Britons and 41% of US respondents will not have the coronavirus vaccine or are unsure about it. The following research findings comes as a surprise as news of human trials of coronavirus vaccines have recently been publicized. 

In a different report entitled The Antivax Industry, the CCDH accused social media companies for allowing antivax conspiracies to proliferate in their platforms. The CCDH also blames online misinformation for causing the spread of anti-vax sentiments. 

Editor’s Note: This article tells us several things, but we would like to highlight two important insights. The first points to the awakening of more people on the dangers of vaccines, as evidenced by a great number of individuals who are not readily buying in to the vaccine myth. The second is related to how mainstream society labels those who do not subscribe to mainstream views. 

On the first point, the proliferation of news concerning COVID-19 cases and deaths may have inspired initial panic, but people are slowly recovering. We must remember that before the pandemic, the “anti-vax” position was already gaining ground as conversations about holistic health have become mainstream. It is great to know that people are remembering the lessons of pre-pandemic years. 

On the second point, we must reiterate that no one, no company, and no government has the monopoly of truth. “Conspiracy theorists” are labels given to those who dare to seek truth beyond what mainstream media offers. Many of them have found truths that unite seemingly conflicting information.

If any entity wishes to prevent fake news from causing devastation in our societies, the solution is not censorship, but rather, the opposite. People must be given access to all sorts of information because only then they can truly make the right decision. 

Blaming social media for the rise of “anti-vaxxers” is equivalent to saying that these “anti-vaxxers” are immature and uneducated. But the contrary is true. Many of those who refuse to have themselves, and their families vaccinated understand the concern much more deeply than the narrative mainstream media hopes to promote.