No one wants the COVID-19 pandemic over with more than the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. They have been at the forefront of both managing the state’s response to the virus and promoting vaccination. The latest campaign by the MDHHS is a $1.5 million multimedia program designed to help Michiganders feel more comfortable with the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine.
There is significant hesitancy in getting the vaccine. According to MDHHS, 66% of Michiganders are likely or very likely to get the COVID-19 vaccine and 34% would like to get it as soon as possible. They report that 47% of white Michiganders are very likely to get the vaccine while only 25% of black Michiganders are very likely to get the vaccine.
The reasons that people don’t want to get the vaccine include concerns about side effects, reluctance to be a “test subject”, needing to know more about the vaccine’s safety, wanting to know more about the long-term performance of the vaccine, questions about effectiveness, and concerns about political motivations to pushing the vaccine through safety tests.
The multimedia campaign will target the concerns and promote the safety of the vaccine.
Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland
