US Vaccine Fatigue May Harbor Some Unrealistic Expectations

"There is a good deal of vaccine fatigue out there, and particularly for vaccines that are good—but not perfect."

Infectious diseae expert William Schaffner, MD, medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, is emphatic about helping the public understand that the vaccines we have against influenza, COVID-19, and other seasonal respiratory viruses are not perfect at preventing contraction of the virus. Public health messaging that focuses on how effective the annual flu shot is at preventing infection completely should refocus on how effective it is at keeping people out of the hospital--that is the vaccine's primary function.

Schaffner talks about US vaccine fatigue in the context of unrealistic expectations in this short video interview with Patient Care^©.

William Schaffner, MD, is medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, professor of preventive medicine in the Department of Health Policy and a professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, TN.