To the Editor:Re “Covid Vaccine Hesitancy Is Getting Worse,” by Danielle Ofri (Opinion guest essay, Jan. 31):Unfortunately, Dr. Ofri’s language here embodies the misguided approach that too many in the medical community have taken during and after the pandemic, severely eroding our patients’ trust in public health.
Reasonable people can disagree about the utility of Covid vaccine boosters in otherwise healthy adults.
Indeed the World Health Organization is not recommending updated Covid boosters for otherwise healthy adults or children.
Thus, the almost 80 percent of American adults who chose not to get boosted this winter are not suffering from the “heebie-jeebies.” They are making a rational decision that is in line with that made by European health agencies that likewise don’t support universal Covid boosters (a policy that, in my mind, is strongly supported by the current scientific evidence).
To suggest otherwise is harmful to the trust we physicians are trying to restore with our patients after the pandemic.
Persons:
Danielle Ofri, Jan
Organizations:
World Health Organization