Experts discuss vaccine hesitancy and COVID-19

Although vaccination is considered one of the most important developments in modern medicine, it’s also still hotly debated. By some estimates, nearly 30% of Americans will refuse a COVID-19 vaccine, making vaccine hesitancy one of the biggest challenges to fighting the war against the virus.

On November 17, 2020, a panel of experts discussed how to restore public confidence in vaccines at an event hosted by the Human Immunomics Initiative, a joint effort of Harvard Chan School and the Human Vaccines Project that aims to revolutionize the understanding of the human immune system and accelerate the creation of effective vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments.

Panelists included:

Albert Hofman, Stephen B. Kay Family Professor of Public Health and Clinical Epidemiology and chair, Harvard Chan School Department of Epidemiology

Jaap Goudsmit, chief scientific officer, Human Vaccines Project, and adjunct professor, Harvard Chan School Department of Epidemiology

Wayne Koff, chief executive officer, Human Vaccines Project, and adjunct professor, Harvard Chan School Department of Epidemiology

Julia Wu, principal investigator, Human Immunomics Initiative, and research scientist, Harvard Chan School Department of Epidemiology

Barry Bloom, Joan L. and Julius H. Jacobson Research Professor of Public Health and former dean of the faculty, Harvard Chan School

Watch a video of the event: Vaccine Hesitancy: The Greatest Challenge to COVID-19?