As countries across the world are taking steps to vaccinate citizens against COVID-19, vaccine hesitancy has created hurdles for global healthcare authorities to successfully implement the inoculation campaign.

In an editorial on Tuesday, Gulf News stated that world governments are not only fighting public indifference and outright hostility (in some cases) against vaccines, they are also grappling with disinformation campaigns against inoculation carried out by educated citizens on social media. The newspaper pointed out that vaccine hesitancy is not just a problem for the Third World, but all regions across the globe.

"The phenomenon is troubling Western societies too. The problem is so widespread that governments are forced to offer incentives in cash and kind just to draw people to vaccination centres," the editorial noted.

As per the editorial, there is an increasing disparity by ethnicity and regions in the United States resulting in unfulfilled vaccine targets by millions. Even as 157 million people have taken the COVID-19 vaccine in the US, there are various individuals who have shown hesitancy against immunisation. The paper pointed out that vaccine hesitancy and disinformation are core reasons behind the slowed-down pace of the vaccination campaign in the United States and other countries due to which a vast number of people still remain unvaccinated against the disease.

"For example, Joseph Mercola, a doctor in Florida wrote in an article saying vaccines are 'a medical fraud'. His article reached around 400,000 people on Facebook and has been translated in Polish and Spanish languages," the editorial added.

On Saturday, police were forced to use tear gas and water cannon to disperse a gathering of around 4,000 citizens protesting mandatory vaccination in Greece. Tens of thousands of people are protecting against COVID-19 safety restrictions in France and Italy in recent days.

The daily named it a "big challenge" for Western countries to vaccinate the maximum number of populations, particularly amid the rapid spread of Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus.

The newspaper added that these countries have no other option but to take steps to effectively counter the ongoing propaganda against vaccines and COVID-19 restrictions. The daily called on health experts and epidemiologists to find effective ways to inform people about the benefits of vaccination as the government's ability to crack down against disinformation campaigns is largely restricted by free speech laws.

The editorial further highlighted the spread of the Delta COVID-19 variant is resulting in unprecedented outbreaks in many countries, noting that the only way to prevent the surge in infection is to expand and accelerate the vaccine coverage.

"Unfortunately, the hesitancy is not limited to the less educated or among those who do not have access to reliable information. Even well-educated people fall for disinformation amplified by social media, a platform that must do more in weeding out such posts and videos," the daily pointed out.

The Dubai-based newspaper explained that there are some countries that have the legal framework to counter disinformation campaigners. However, other countries must work on introducing new measures to not only counter the propaganda, but also create awareness about the benefits of vaccines among the public as well.

"The first step in that direction would be to transparently publicise information about the potential side effects of vaccines," the editorial concluded.

WAM