State, city leaders push transparency to increase trust in COVID-19 vaccine

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) said ensuring transparency is one of the main reasons for his state’s success in vaccine distribution, citing regular communication with constituents.

Speaking at The Hill’s “COVID-19 Vaccine: Trust and Communication” event Thursday, Justice described how he holds press conferences multiple times a week, stressing to residents that they should get their dose as soon as they are able and not to listen to misinformation about the vaccine.

“The number of bad stories around the vaccines are next to nothing, and the bad stories around this situation, if you get this dreaded disease, everything is going to eat you up,” he told The Hill’s Steve Clemons.

West Virginia has recently been able to expand the populations eligible for the vaccine because of its success rate in vaccinating the initial groups. The state is now allowing residents age 50 and older, education workers age 40 to 50 and those 16 and older with certain medical conditions to get vaccinated.

Justice added that the state government has partnered with local pharmacies to put “shots in arms” as quickly as possible whenever the state receives a new shipment.

“Every single one within the week that they get here, we’ve got them in somebody’s arm,” he said.

.@WVGovernor Jim Justice on his success in getting his constituents vaccinated: “Transparency is really, really big. But trust has to be earned and the people of this state really do trust me” #TheHillVaccine https://t.co/4GZIzp1mCU pic.twitter.com/ov70uNobzO

— The Hill Events (@TheHillEvents) March 4, 2021

A poll released in mid-February by the Kaiser Family Foundation showed that almost a third of U.S. adults are undecided on whether they’ll get the COVID-19 vaccine and are taking a “wait and see” approach.

Mayor Eric Garcetti (D) of Los Angeles said the distrust of institutions, not just the government, is a national trend, and individuals’ fears shouldn’t be dismissed as ignorance or stupidity. He said the medical profession has to earn people’s trust by showing respect and explaining to people the reality of the vaccines.

“You have to talk very personally — you cannot make this about statistics,” Garcetti said. “And you certainly can’t say, ‘Hey, I’m with the government. I’m here to help.’ You have to say, ‘Look, I’m your neighbor. I’m a human being. Let me tell you my experience.’ ”

.@MayorofLA Eric Garcetti on the impact of a vaccine distribution program: “if we have that capacity built up properly, by mid-summer all the adult population that wants to get a vaccine, will have a vaccine and be vaccinated in America.” #TheHillVaccine https://t.co/4GZIzp1mCU pic.twitter.com/dQxZtg0J2M

— The Hill Events (@TheHillEvents) March 4, 2021

Andy Slavitt, the senior adviser of the White House COVID Response Team, said in light of a limited supply of vaccines for the immediate future, public officials should be telling Americans what the situation is to the greatest extent possible. Slavitt, who also spoke at Thursday’s event sponsored by Granicus, said he isn’t too concerned about a significant number of people refusing to take the vaccine permanently despite some hesitancy among some populations.

Without any intervention, he said, individuals who are the most privileged will tend to have greater access to higher quality health care. He added that simply sending shipments of vaccines into underserved communities is not enough to address inequities because people from better served communities will often travel there for the vaccine.

“What you have to do is you have to make sure you’re reserving appointments for people who live in the communities, and you have to do special outreach,” Slavitt said.

White House COVID Response Team Sr. Advisor @ASlavitt: “Let’s not let what happened with masks happen with vaccines. Let’s not let vaccines become a symbol of your political identity.” #TheHillVaccine https://t.co/4GZIzp1mCU pic.twitter.com/vYDxUoswPv

— The Hill Events (@TheHillEvents) March 4, 2021

Mayra Alvarez, a member of the Biden-Harris COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, said those in the communities hit the hardest by the virus often don’t have a luxury of time to get the vaccine. She said health officials and medical workers need to bring the vaccines into those communities and ensure that the burden of trying to get a vaccine isn’t put solely on the individuals in these communities.

.@KidsPartnership President Mayra Alvarez: “If we start with our most marginalized communities and the limitations that they may be facing, we can make sure to have more equitable distribution of the vaccine and get the virus under control” #TheHillVaccine https://t.co/4GZIzp1mCU pic.twitter.com/oHv4ulxV4C

— The Hill Events (@TheHillEvents) March 4, 2021

Alvarez — who is also head of The Children’s Partnership, which advocates for public policies to support children — said creating walkup vaccine clinic sites and recognizing the influence of community leaders in increasing people’s confidence in the vaccine can be effective tools to ensure an equitable distribution.

“Those are intentional efforts that will help address just this lack of equity when it comes to our everyday lives,” she said.