đ¨We may soon have a COVID-19 vaccine. But will enough people take it?
đ¨We may soon have a COVID-19 vaccine. But will enough people take it?
ZURICH/LONDON, Nov 9 (Reuters) â With COVID-19 vaccine trial results looking positive, governments and pharmaceutical firms face their next daunting challenge: convincing the world to get inoculated.
Public resistance to vaccines has been much discussed this year, but the issue became very real on Monday when Pfizer (PFN.N), opens new tab and BioNTech announced their candidate was more than 90% effective in large trials â hoisting an actual shot onto the horizon.
Numerous opinion polls carried out before and during the pandemic showed confidence is volatile, and that political polarization and online misinformation threatens uptake. Many people have concerns about the accelerated speed of COVID-19 vaccine development. read more
The World Health Organization estimates about 70% of people must be inoculated to break transmission of the virus. Since it is unlikely a vaccine, once approved, will be immediately available for the masses, experts said getting medical workers on board will be critical.
âWe should have really targeted discussions and engagement with healthcare providers,â Heidi Larson, director of the global Vaccine Confidence Project, told Reuters.
âNot only are they going to be the first ones expected to get a vaccine â if not required to â theyâre also going to be the ones on the frontlines facing the onslaught of questions from the public.â
FIRST IN LINE?
While about 200 COVID-19 vaccine candidates are in development globally, with dozens in human clinical trials, no shot has actually crossed the finish line and been approved, though the one from Pfizer-BioNTech appears to be on track.
The high rate of efficacy in the Pfizer-BioNTech interim results could help boost confidence, Cornell University government Professors Douglas Kriner and Sarah Kreps said.
Their recently published research showed that if an initial COVID-19 vaccine was about as effective as a flu shot, uptake by the American public may fall far short of the 70% level needed to achieve âherd immunityâ.
âHowever, if the vaccine was 90% effective it would significantly increase Americansâ willingness to vaccinate by more than 10%, critical to ensuring enough public acceptance to help the U.S. eventually get closer to herd immunity,â said Kreps.
Experts are also cautioning any conversation over a vaccineâs risks and rewards must be frank. A return to normal life will still take time, with no one shot likely to be a silver bullet. And many questions are likely to remain, including how long a vaccine will provide protection.
The Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA, a non-profit that supports the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, has been holding focus groups to gauge the public mood and is now crafting campaign messages to help tackle concerns.
Its chief executive, Susan Winckler, said more than a dozen focus groups of 150 people in total held since August â some in person, some by video â had unearthed numerous concerns.
âWe heard distrust of both government and the healthcare system,â Winckler said. âMany didnât want to be first in line for the shot.â
Itâs a global phenomenon; a survey from early November, carried out by the World Economic Forum and covering 18,526 people in 15 countries, showed 73% of people willing to get a COVID-19 vaccine, a four-point fall since August.
EARLY BATTLE
Regulators and the drug industry have taken pains to reassure the public they wonât cut corners on safety, with a top U.S. drug agency official saying he would quit if an unproven vaccine were rubber stamped. read more
The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations, a drug industry group, also plans a campaign by 2021, while the U.S. Council for International Business, with 300 multinational corporations as members, is also getting behind a campaign pushing for workforce take-up of eventual COVID-19 vaccines.
Some studies show government and employer recommendations will help convince people to get vaccinated.
Scott Ratzan, co-leader with Larson of âCONVINCEâ, an initiative supporting communication and engagement for vaccine uptake globally, stressed the importance of medical workers getting inoculated, saying others would then be more likely to follow suit.
âIf we donât have the medical folks signed on ⌠weâll lose the early battle,â he added. âThe only way to get back to normal is if we can get enough workers or employees covered.â
Reporting by John Miller in Zurich and Kate Kelland in London; Additional reporting by Martinne Geller in London, Doug Busvine in Frankfurt and Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago; Editing by Josephine Mason and Pravin Char
Why Waking Up at 3 or 4 A.M. May Reveal More Than You Think
Waking up at 3 or 4 a.m. is something many people experience, and while it may feel unsettling, there are usually clear reasons behind it. Stress and anxiety are among the most common causes. When your mind is busy or restless, your body struggles to stay asleep, and once you wake up, it can be difficult to calm your thoughts enough to drift back off.Sleep disorders can also play a role. Insomnia makes it hard to stay asleep, and sleep apnea causes pauses in breathing that can jolt you awake several times a night.
Hormonal changes, especially during menopause, are another factor, as shifts in melatonin, cortisol, and other hormones directly affect the bodyâs sleep cycle.Lifestyle habits often have a bigger impact than we realize. Too much caffeine or alcohol, irregular sleep schedules, and late-night screen use can confuse the bodyâs natural rhythm and increase the chances of early awakenings. Even simple things like noise, light, or an uncomfortable mattress in your environment can disturb your sleep.
If waking up in the middle of the night is something you struggle with often, itâs worth paying attention to. Sometimes, these wake-ups are your bodyâs way of signaling that something needs to changeâwhether thatâs lowering your stress levels, improving your sleep habits, or creating a more peaceful sleeping space.
If the problem continues, keeping track of your sleep or speaking to a healthcare professional can help uncover the deeper cause.In the end, waking up at 3 or 4 a.m. isnât just an inconvenience. It can be a reminder to take better care of yourself, to slow down, and to listen to what your body is telling you. Sleep isnât only about the hours you spend in bedâitâs about giving yourself the chance to wake up each morning feeling rested, balanced, and ready to live fully.
Prince William decided to announce the saddest news that leaves fans in tears : âMy wife itâs been⌠See more
The British royals seem to be having a lot on their plate recently. This last month had been a hectic one, with Kate Middleton undergoing an abdominal surgery which requires plenty of time for recovery and King Charles being diagnosed with cancer.
According to the Palace, the Princess of Wales would only be able to return to her royal duties around Easter, although she does some work from home even now.
Kateâs planned abdominal surgery shook things a bit not only for her but for her husband as well. Just like Kate, William was also forced to either postpone or reschedule many of his royal duties during her hospital stay because he needed to take care of the coupleâs three children who  hadnât visited their mother at the London Clinic.
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William had the help of the familyâs nanny, Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo.
Borrallo has been with the family since Prince George was just 8 months old.
âShe is not married and doesnât have a boyfriend, as her life is totally dedicated to the family she is working with. She is known for being totally professional â married to the job,â an insider told Hello Magazine.
When the couple are away from home, the nanny makes all the decisions regarding the children.
Borallo was trained at the prestigious Norland College in Bath. âMaria is firm, but she never acts unilaterally with the children on discipline. Kate and William, along with Maria, are strict with the children but have this magic ability to appear not to be,â a royal insider said.
A royal insider previously said, âMaria is firm, but she never acts unilaterally with the children on discipline. Kate and William, along with Maria, are strict with the children but have this magic ability to appear not to be.â
When she was hired, Kensington Palace released a statement: âMaria is a full-time nanny who started work with us recently and will be accompanying the Duke and Duchess and Prince George to New Zealand and Australia. We will not be giving further details on Maria or her employment, except to say that the Duke and Duchess are, of course, delighted she has chosen to join them.â
Speaking with Hello Magazine, parenting expert Jo Frost explained that Maria is a very important person for William, Kate, and their children.
âThe blessing of her nurturing ways and wonderful service to the family leave the children in good steady hands, affording William the flexibility to be present as a father, attend to his royal duties where he can at home and be the emotional support he will want to be for his wife,â she said.
As of William, royal biographer Angela Levin states that he now faces a âdifficult timeâ having to balance between his work and his private life. On top of that, his brother Harry was in Britain, and as we all know the relationship between the two is still a rocky one. The royal expert said that William âgot used to Harry being rude, unkind and attacking his wife.â
âItâs very hard for him. He doesnât want to have anything to do with Harry at the moment, and you canât blame him. Because heâs been so rude and told untruths about both William and Catherine,â Angela Levin told GB News.
âI donât know how you completely can change that. Itâs difficult, isnât it? Itâs difficult to completely turn over a relationship and forget all the past. I donât think people can do that.â
CLITHEROE, UNITED KINGDOM â JANUARY 20: Britainâs Prince William, Duke of Cambridge visits NHS staff and patients at Clitheroe Community Hospital and hear about their experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic on January 20, 2022 in Clitheroe, East Lancashire, England. (Photo by James Glossop-WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Isabel Webster, the host of the GB News show, said she believed the Prince could feel âlonelyâ at this time.
âThis is somebody whoâs estranged from his brother, he lost his mother in tragic circumstances, recently lost his granny, who was one of the few who understood the responsibility he faces,â she said. âAnd one of his uncles is disgraced; now his father and wife are both unwell.â
Levin responded: âHarry said to me when I was writing his biography that he and William couldnât be closer, we trust each other totally. We are together. We have the most amazing relationship because weâve had the same experiences, terrible, difficult experiences. But now thatâs not the case.â
On Wednesday night, Prince William attended Londonâs Air Ambulance Charity Gala Dinner. There, he held a speech and thanked everyone for their kind wishes regarding both his wife as well as his father, King Charles, who was diagnosed with cancer on Monday.
âGood evening everyone. Thank you all for being here. And thank you to those whose hard work has made this evening possible. Iâd like to take this opportunity to say thank you, also, for the kind messages of support for Catherine and for my father, especially in recent days. It means a great deal to us all. Itâs fair to say the past few weeks have had a rather âmedicalâ focus. So I thought Iâd come to an air ambulance function to get away from it all,â William said.
Earlier that day, the Prince of Wales held an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle, where he handed out more than 50 honors. Among the recipients was Patricia Sprouse who later took to LinkedIn to share the news of her honor. In her post, she revealed some details regarding Kate and the much-needed help she gets.
âWhat an amazing experience, the castle was just breathtaking, everyone was so lovely to us as we were just in awe of everything,â Sprouse wrote on LinkedIn. âPrince William said that Catherine had two Filipino nurses looking after her and they were amazing and kind.â