In the early days of the vaccine rollout, it was useful and important to know that many migrant communities had lower vaccine uptake rates. Not so we could "blame" those communities, nor because it would be useful to turn vaccination discussions into arguments about multiculturalism, but rather because this gave a useful guide to how to combat such vaccine hesitancy. It turned out that use of already-employed healthcare workers who lived and worked locally and spoke the first language of migrant populations was very helpful, as was involving religious and community groups.
Similarly, it's useful and important to know (if you accept the premise, as I do) that anti-vax sentiment is now coming largely, but not entirely, from the political right. This is the opposite to what one might have expected, given that previous anti-science movements (anti-MMR, anti-GMO, pro-homeopathy, the partially justified hostility to Big Pharma) came largely, but not entirely, from the political left; and given that the vaccine rollouts were arguably the biggest political successes of both the Trump and Johnson premierships. Again, it's useful and important to know this not so that we can "blame" those on the right, nor because it would be useful to turn vaccination discussions into left/right political arguments, but rather because this gives a useful guide to how to combat such anti-vax sentiment.
Eg: This American Life had a segment where (pugnacious Republican former governor of New Jersey) Chris Christie spoke to vaccine sceptics. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/736/the-herd/act-two-7 Mostly-but-perhaps-not-entirely-trollingly, Matt Yglesias proposed renaming the Johnson & Johnson vaccine "TrumpVax", and that the Biden administration should pay Trump whatever he wants to do TV adverts for it. Boris Johnson is due to start working for GBNews "in the new year", and could be a powerful voice on this topic.
I'm not quite sure to what extent I am here agreeing or disagreeing with Oliver's original post.
Unfortunately I think we're doomed to import more of the American partisan treatment of issues. I don't think the official messaging with regards to masks helped, where the initial advice that n95 masks didn't work in order to try to keep demand down, then reversed and enforced even outside in some countries, was particularly helpful. Even worse there was a trend to scaremonger about the vaccine being unsafe because it was being 'rushed by Trump'. It's much harder to rebuild trust.
In the early days of the vaccine rollout, it was useful and important to know that many migrant communities had lower vaccine uptake rates. Not so we could "blame" those communities, nor because it would be useful to turn vaccination discussions into arguments about multiculturalism, but rather because this gave a useful guide to how to combat such vaccine hesitancy. It turned out that use of already-employed healthcare workers who lived and worked locally and spoke the first language of migrant populations was very helpful, as was involving religious and community groups.
Similarly, it's useful and important to know (if you accept the premise, as I do) that anti-vax sentiment is now coming largely, but not entirely, from the political right. This is the opposite to what one might have expected, given that previous anti-science movements (anti-MMR, anti-GMO, pro-homeopathy, the partially justified hostility to Big Pharma) came largely, but not entirely, from the political left; and given that the vaccine rollouts were arguably the biggest political successes of both the Trump and Johnson premierships. Again, it's useful and important to know this not so that we can "blame" those on the right, nor because it would be useful to turn vaccination discussions into left/right political arguments, but rather because this gives a useful guide to how to combat such anti-vax sentiment.
Eg: This American Life had a segment where (pugnacious Republican former governor of New Jersey) Chris Christie spoke to vaccine sceptics. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/736/the-herd/act-two-7 Mostly-but-perhaps-not-entirely-trollingly, Matt Yglesias proposed renaming the Johnson & Johnson vaccine "TrumpVax", and that the Biden administration should pay Trump whatever he wants to do TV adverts for it. Boris Johnson is due to start working for GBNews "in the new year", and could be a powerful voice on this topic.
I'm not quite sure to what extent I am here agreeing or disagreeing with Oliver's original post.
Unfortunately I think we're doomed to import more of the American partisan treatment of issues. I don't think the official messaging with regards to masks helped, where the initial advice that n95 masks didn't work in order to try to keep demand down, then reversed and enforced even outside in some countries, was particularly helpful. Even worse there was a trend to scaremonger about the vaccine being unsafe because it was being 'rushed by Trump'. It's much harder to rebuild trust.