From Dr. Bailey to the Senate: Doctors are the best vaccine ambassadors in the country

Experts say that the need for coordinated messages delivered from trusted sources and convenient access are seen as the keys to overcoming the hesitation of the COVID-19 vaccine, health, education and labor. , Spoke to the US Senator at a face-to-face hearing with the Pension Commission.

The first thing I heard from the Senator was the former President of the AMA. Susan R. Bailey, MD, Doctors answered patients’ questions and told them about the important role they can play in addressing their fears of vaccination.

“It makes a big difference for patients to be able to talk directly about vaccine concerns, answer questions, and get vaccinated while in the office to make an appointment,” said Dr. Bailey. Her statement for record.. “That’s why we have urged the distribution of vaccines to clinics.”

Dr. Bailey said doctors are also taking the lead by setting an example, in a recent AMA survey. 96% of practitioners are fully vaccinated And of those who don’t, 45% will.

“Physicians play an important role as credible ambassadors in current vaccination campaigns. AMA seems that members are ready to educate patients and the general public to reduce hesitation and rejection of vaccines. It helped me prepare for, “said Dr. Bailey.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 56% of Americans are completely vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. There are many variations of COVID-19 vaccination depending on location, race, ethnicity and age.

AMA calls on federal agencies to be as transparent as possible by developing free resources on their websites to help doctors address their concerns and answer patient questions. Vaccine development And clinical trial data.

“AMA also encourages all state and medical professional members to increase COVID-19 vaccination coverage and involve members in efforts to ensure that COVID-19 vaccination is fair. We do, “said Dr. Bailey.

“Concerns about access to the COVID-19 vaccine, especially fair distribution and availability, were AMA’s greatest concerns,” she added. “Preventing racial inequalities in the intake of the COVID-19 vaccine is and will continue to be important to mitigate the imbalanced effects of the virus on colored races and prevent future widening of racial health inequalities. . “

AMA members Michelle Nichols, MD also spoke. She told Senator the importance of “modeling” and how to tell patients why they were vaccinated with COVID-19 and how they feel afterwards.

It can be important for the person receiving the vaccine to look, hear, and have the same experience as the person receiving the vaccine, said Dr. Nichols, Deputy Director of Clinical Studies at Morehouse School of Medicine. ..

Social media platform Allow false or false information Dr. Bailey, reported as real news, talked about how it undermined the credibility of the vaccine.

“Social media can help provide accurate, evidence-based health information, but it has contributed significantly to vaccine hesitation during a pandemic and, until recently, has blatantly countered the spread of false information. That was rarely done, “she said. ..

She said AMA wrote letter Encourage the CEOs of leading tech companies to be vigilant about the spread of unintended false or disinformation on their sites.

Other factors that prevent people from being vaccinated include transportation and anxiety. About lost wages If you cannot work due to temporary side effects.

“We have to make sure that communities that are struggling to access are filled where they are,” said Dr. Bailey. “These communities need local solutions and partnerships with local leaders to find the best strategies for immunization in hard-to-access communities.”

Dr. Bailey described how the rate of new COVID-19 infections and mortality has declined sharply, but it is a serious threat as Americans are still dying from virus-related complications. It remains.

“Extensive access to scientifically accurate and evidence-based information is key to our success.” Dr. Bailey said. “AMA and its members are committed to ending this pandemic and combating false medical information.”