Table 3.
Comments provided by medical and dental students.
| THEME |
REPRESENTATIVE QUOTES |
|
|---|---|---|
| Medical Students | Dental Students | |
| Personal Concern About Vaccine Safety and Efficacy | “Personally, I would like to see the vaccine in the market for several years before receiving the vaccine, as I am concerned about possible congenital defects in newborns born to mothers who received the new vaccine.” “I would rather wait a little bit longer for a better-crafted vaccination with fewer side effects (if any) than a rushed vaccination that ends up dissuading more people from getting it. It should be released with the knowledge of exactly how it will adversely affect people if at all. “ |
“I still don’t feel it is safe, as there has not been time to study the side effects, and possible complications of getting inoculated with it. “ “Since it is the first mRNA∗ vaccine, I along with many others are less likely to get it because of this reason. I need more information on how the mRNA vaccine works. “ “Personally, I would only take this particular vaccine after the first phase of patients take it and the second, third or even fourth batch is on the market. Under no circumstances am I going to take the first batch.” |
| Rapid Development and Implementation of Vaccine | “I think it is important to not release a vaccine before it has been thoroughly vetted and tested for both efficacy and safety.” “I am concerned with the rapid development and push to create a vaccine that it will not be safe—I would want to hear about all the measures that were taken to ensure the vaccine is safe and any corners that were cut to create it more quickly.” “Furthermore, reading about how some vaccine trials skipped certain phases of testing makes me feel uncomfortable with taking the vaccine immediately after FDA† approval.” |
“There is no way I would trust a vaccine that took only 6 months to make.” “I feel that due to the pandemic the COVID vaccine has been developed in a rush, and even when health specialists are recommending the vaccine, I still don’t feel it is safe.” “Past educational experience has taught me that it takes years or decades for new vaccines or medications to go through many failed attempts and trials to even get to the clinical trial stage and with the talk of a COVID vaccine already in clinical trials and possibly soon to be offered to the public makes me very skeptical.” |
| Politicization | “Many people don’t trust the CDC‡ and the FDA because President Trump might be pressuring these institutions to rush out a vaccine for his own political gain.” “I am concerned about the efficacy and safety of a purported vaccine by our country’s government, especially in regards to admitted ‘downplaying of the severity’ by the current leadership.” |
“NO WAY DO I SUPPORT MANDATING A CHINESE VIRUS VACCINE.” “The public control by government regulations has been absolutely ridiculous.” “How is it 2 days after they declare Biden as new president he saves the day with vaccine announcements?” “The vaccine should be encouraged, but cannot be made mandatory. This would be a major breach of citizens’ rights and an overreach of government.” |
| Trust in Regulatory Agencies | “As a future provider, I believe it to be my obligation to my future patients to not only understand the benefits but also the risks of the disease, and the simple word of the CDC is not currently a trustable one.” | “The school or the CDC or any other reputable source could send information to health care professionals concerning the vaccine and the virus that contained peer-reviewed papers and studies with the most up-to-date news on this devoid of political agenda or rumors.” |
| Education for Public | “Easy to understand information that is written for the general public, based on reputable resources that are linked, that is easy to digest but also informative and can be shared easily on social media.” “I think this knowledge needs to get out there to the general public and students, that speedy science doesn’t equal bad science. Once we understand this we can educate patients.” |
“I believe if questions are answered with legitimate and persuasive facts then people will be more accepting of this vaccine.” “Get a clear idea of potential risks and benefits, inform the public on both and probability of each.” “Accessibility is huge—the easier it is to get the vaccines the more people will get them.” |
| Anti-COVID-19 Vaccine | “Take advice from other medical professionals who have different experiences with treating COVID patients in the US and other COVID diseases around the world to get a better understanding of treatments other than the vaccine.” | “I will NOT get a COVID-19 vaccine for ANY REASON!” “We are young and healthy and it is a violation of our rights to be demanded to take a vaccine that is largely untested and effects largely unknown. I will not take the vaccine no matter what the school decides to mandate.” “There is such a risk forcing people to take a vaccine for a virus that has a 96% survival rate” |
| Minimization of Severity of COVID-19 Infection | Not applicable | “My age demographic is not at risk. All my friends who had it said it was like having a cold and now they are fine with no residual effects.” “COVID in healthy individuals does not possess a risk of death (just like with the flu or influenza). A healthy individual’s immune system is capable of getting rid of the virus. Getting the disease does not put you at risk of having long-term disorders, disability or death.” “COVID-19 is not much more serious than the common cold or flu viruses.” |
∗
mRNA: Messenger RNA.
†
FDA: US Food and Drug Administration.
‡
CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.