Patience and compassion are the tools to defeat COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy: doctor

A Saskatchewan doctor is urging Canadians and health-care workers to be patient and compassionate toward those who are hesitant about receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.

"There are a lot of people who are not actually inherently against vaccine in any way," saidDr. Alex Wong, an infectious disease specialist in Saskatoon.

"They're not anti-science, they're not anti-establishment, they're not anti-medicine or anything like that ...they just genuinely have questions because they just don't know who to trust."

Children 12 and up can receive the COVID-19 vaccine, but will they?

4 years ago

Duration 1:04

Infectious diseases specialist Dr. Alex Wong on how to talk to their kids about vaccination

As Saskatchewan continues its campaign to vaccinateits residents, Wongsaid the province needs to do a better job at reaching out and educating the vaccine hesitant.

A surveyby Statistics Canadain 2020,found that the majority of Canadians (76.9 per cent) aged 12 and older weresomewhat or very willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. That means a chunk of the population (23 per cent) were resistant to receiving a vaccine, something thatcould have significantnegative effects on the ongoing vaccination campaign.

In an interview with CBCSaskatchewan on Monday, Wong drew a distinction between two differentcamps: anti-vaxxers a small subset of the 23 per cent who are opposed to vaccines and are unlikely to be persuaded from their firmly-held belief and vaccine hesitant individuals, who don't know what to do or where to get answers.

It's the latter group that Saskatchewan should look to to educateand conviceto receive a jab, he said.

"They're just wanting to know,'is this the right decision for me?' and for all those types of individuals that's the sort of thing where people need to take the time and you need to have the requisite knowledge, I think, to be able to counsel those people."

Clarity and expertise a relief to Roughrider

Shaq Evans can attest to the power ofbeing reassured by an expert.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders wide receiver was one of many CFL players who have takenpart in calls withDr. Dhiren Naidu, who is heading up the league's return-to-play plan.

"He gave us a lot of insight and a lot of clarity in that aspect," Evans saidin a video interview from California, wherehe waits to hear about the status of the 2021 CFLseason.

Evans said he had been feeling anxious around receiving his second COVID-19 dose, butthat having the chance for an expert to explain why vaccinationisimportant and how rare any negative side-effectsare made him feel much more confident.

Part of that came from Naidu'srole as the team doctor for thethe Edmonton Oilers and Edmonton Football Team. Naidu also played an important role in the NHL and World Junior hockey bubbles in Edmondton.

Evan saidhe had suffered through a COVID-19 diagnoses and that the side effects of the vaccine were minor in comparison.

The 2019 CFL All-Star took to Twitter to encourage others to get a vaccine as soon as theycan. He said as a public figure he felt an obligation to speak out.

"I guess that's really my my goal is just to... put myface out there and just let people know, 'look, I got it and I'm fine,'" he said.

Hitting the wall

Last week, Saskatchewan Minister of HealthScott Merriman said he doesn't believe vaccine hesitancy will be an issue in the province.

Wong disagrees.

Although vaccineadoption has been pretty good in the province, Wong said it's likely Saskatchewan will hit a wall in vaccination rates as it encounters vaccine hesitant groups.

Some of his colleagues in the health authority have already been discussinghow to improve vaccination rates and help provide information to those who need it.

Wong said he wants tocrystal-clear messaging from the government.

"I think a huge part of it is creating easy-to-access, simple resources that people can turn to and rely on with regards to up-to-date information and practical, simple to understand answers to the most common questions."

Wong said he knows that some colleagueshave become frustrated about still having to discussthe COVID-19 vaccine more than a year into the pandemic, but that we all need to be compassionate.

"Usually all it takes is just that kindness and patience so that that person knows that you care, knows that you want to help them make a good decision and that you're going to take the time necessary in order to help them get there," he said.