The public's role in COVID-19 vaccination: Human-centered recommendations to enhance pandemic vaccine awareness, access, and acceptance in the United States

Given the social and economic upheavals caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, political leaders, health offi-cials, and members of the public are eager for solutions. One of the most promising, if they can be suc-cessfully developed, is vaccines. While the technological development of such countermeasures is currently underway, a key social gap remains. Past experience in routine and crisis contexts demonstrates that uptake of vaccines is more complicated than simply making the technology available. Vaccine uptake, and especially the widespread acceptance of vaccines, is a social endeavor that requires consid-eration of human factors. To provide a starting place for this critical component of a future COVID-19 vac-cination campaign in the United States, the 23-person Working Group on Readying Populations for COVID-19 Vaccines was formed. One outcome of this group is a synthesis of the major challenges and opportu-nities associated with a future COVID-19 vaccination campaign and empirically-informed recommenda-tions to advance public understanding of, access to, and acceptance of vaccines that protect against SARS-CoV-2. While not inclusive of all possible steps than could or should be done to facilitate COVID-19 vac-cination, the working group believes that the recommendations provided are essential for a successful vaccination program. (c) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In response to the social and economic challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of vaccine development and uptake is highlighted. A working group in the United States has identified major challenges and opportunities for future COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, emphasizing the need for public understanding, access to, and acceptance of vaccines. The successful implementation of these recommendations is seen as essential for a successful vaccination program.