{"id":233935,"date":"2021-07-10T14:35:44","date_gmt":"2021-07-10T14:35:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/radiofree.asia\/?guid=0654c792b358612daed784b5447b206c"},"modified":"2021-07-10T14:35:44","modified_gmt":"2021-07-10T14:35:44","slug":"conspiracy-theories-arent-the-only-thing-holding-back-us-vaccination-efforts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2021\/07\/10\/conspiracy-theories-arent-the-only-thing-holding-back-us-vaccination-efforts\/","title":{"rendered":"Conspiracy Theories Aren\u2019t the Only Thing Holding Back US Vaccination Efforts"},"content":{"rendered":"\"A<\/a>

When it comes to resistance to receiving the COVID vaccine, you\u2019ve probably heard about the conspiracy theories — the wild assertions that vaccines contain microchip tracking devices, that they can alter your DNA, that they can \u201cshed\u201d or spread from person to person, or even the claim by some that the vaccine makes you magnetic<\/a>. Much of the discourse around vaccine hesitancy is centered around these bogus conspiracy theories, and as a result, they\u2019ve often been discussed in connection with the U.S. failure to meet the Biden administration\u2019s goal of vaccinating 70 percent of American adults by July 4<\/a>. But there\u2019s a much less discussed factor when it comes to vaccine hesitancy \u2014 and it has nothing to do with conspiracies.<\/p>\n

Many socioeconomic barriers and structural injustices are still impeding vaccination in a variety of communities across the country, particularly in marginalized communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we look at the barriers that could be considered structural or access barriers, the most common one that we hear from people does relate to work \u2014 and that is the concern about having to take time off of work, specifically due to side effects,\u201d Liz Hamel, director of public opinion and survey research at the Kaiser Family Foundation, told Truthout<\/em>. \u201cWe also find concerns around needing to provide documentation. So, about a third of people who haven’t been vaccinated say that they’re concerned they might have to provide a Social Security number or a government-issued I.D. in order to get the vaccine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although many vaccination sites are required<\/a> to request Social Security information for the purpose of charging administrative fees to insurance companies or the federal government, providing this information is not an official requirement for vaccine eligibility. However, there is still quite a bit of confusion around the ID requirement, which is exacerbated by the fact that these requirements can vary from county to county \u2014 with many requiring some form of photo ID<\/a> (not necessarily government issued). So, although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that vaccines are available to anyone<\/a> \u2014 including undocumented immigrants \u2014 there needs to be more information available to these communities (and those serving them) detailing specific requirements when it comes to providing identification.<\/p>\n

Another compounding factor in vaccine hesitancy among certain marginalized communities \u2014 particularly Black and Latinx communities \u2014 is a concern about being able to get the vaccine from a place they trust.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s already a lot of fear and mistrust out there, but on top of that, you add these structural barriers and it adds another layer,\u201d Olveen Carrasquillo, chief of general internal medicine at the University of Miami, told Truthout<\/em>. \u201cPeople fear that they may be arrested by immigration officers, that they’re going to be charged a lot of money, that they are going to somehow owe this debt from being vaccinated, that it’s going to somehow be charged against them if they try to apply for immigration status.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carrasquillo and his team have been working hard to break down many of these informational and structural barriers. They\u2019ve found that working with local and trusted community leaders is helpful in reaching marginalized groups who have yet to be vaccinated. One of these initiatives is the Community Engaged Alliance Against COVID Disparities<\/a>, which is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. Carrasquillo is part of the Florida component of this program, which is a statewide coalition of academics and community members, which, according to Carrasquillo, is trying to increase the vaccine uptake in marginalized communities.<\/p>\n