Vaccine approval looks imminent, but distrust, misinformation have experts worried

Public opinion polls suggest many Americans are still skeptical of coronavirus vaccines, and misinformation about them has been spreading online.

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(Washington) — The Food and Drug Administration could vote as soon as Thursday to approve a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer for emergency use authorization in the United States.

Speaking to NPR this week, FDA head Dr. Stephen Hahn reiterated the government’s commitment to vaccine safety. But public opinion polls suggest many Americans are still skeptical of coronavirus vaccines, and misinformation about them has been spreading online.

Renee DiResta of the Stanford Internet Observatory tells NPR why misinformation often takes hold where people are not necessarily looking for it.

NPR’s Adrian Florido reports public health experts are worried that Latinos and African Americans — communities that are disproportionately affected by COVID-19 — may be less likely to get vaccinated.

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Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

 

This episode was produced by Brianna Scott, Lee Hale and Brent Baughman, with additional reporting by Shannon Bond. It was edited by Sami Yenigun with help from Emily Kopp. Our executive producer is Cara Tallo.