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News & Trends - Pharmaceuticals

COVID-19 Inquiry exposes deep erosion of public trust in government and medical science

Health Industry Hub | October 30, 2024 |

Pharma News: The year-long COVID-19 Inquiry, led by senior public servant Robyn Kruk AO, economist Dr Angela Jackson, and infectious disease expert Professor Catherine Bennett, has uncovered an alarming erosion of public trust in health authorities, government, and medical science.

“The erosion of trust is not only constraining our ability to respond to a pandemic when it next occurs, but we know it’s already bled into the performance of our vaccination programs, including our childhood vaccination program,” said Federal Health Minister, Mark Butler MP.

The Inquiry’s findings reveal that scepticism about COVID-19 vaccines grew due to inconsistencies between state/territory policies, a lack of transparency in government decision-making, and prolonged restrictions.

“Rebuilding trust and maintaining it must be an immediate and ongoing priority and key to preparing effective response plans that mitigate the risk of harm and support broad health objectives,” the Inquiry report emphasised.

Even communications intended to reinforce vaccine safety were criticised, as breakdowns between federal and state/territory governments undermined the message. This sentiment was reflected in focus groups and surveys where a startling 21% of respondents indicated they would decline a government-offered vaccine in a future public health crisis, with another 17% uncertain.

“This pandemic legacy of a loss of trust in vaccines within an active and entrenched vaccine misinformation and disinformation environment is having a continued effect on Australian vaccination rates, including COVID-19 boosters and non-COVID-19 vaccines,” the report noted.

To counter this, the report calls for communication strategies that “take into account the sensitivities of vaccine-related severe reactions and loss of life, and how to communicate the risk in a balanced way to the public.”

Adding to the debate, former New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet challenged the rationale behind strict vaccine mandates, saying, “Health officials and governments were acting with the right intentions to stop the spread, but if the impact of vaccines on transmission was limited at best, as it is now mostly accepted, the law should have left more room for respect of freedom.

“Vaccines saved lives but, ultimately, mandates were wrong. People’s personal choices should not have cost them their jobs.”

Government decisions, including the removal of AstraZeneca from circulation, have fuelled public doubts, linking vaccine hesitancy to broader concerns about the role of government and medical science in managing public health. With nearly half of surveyed Australians rating the government’s vaccine communications poorly, these findings suggest significant missed opportunities in building social license to implement future health policies.

“It is clear that lack of a trusted voice affected public trust in vaccines and treatments. This must be addressed as a priority well ahead of a future public health emergency,” the report emphasised. “Some stakeholders and members of public are divided as to the efficacy and safety of Australia’s assessment process [by the TGA] for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.”

The Inquiry report also highlights missed procurement and distribution opportunities that slowed the vaccine and anti-viral rollout and extended restrictive public health measures at an economic cost estimated at $31 billion.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said “The Inquiry has told us that big decisions were taken, and big mistakes were made. These mistakes were costly and added fuel to the inflationary fire.”

Recommendations include streamlining procurement processes to avoid delays in securing vaccine and anti-virals [Paxlovid and Lagevrio], and reconsidering sovereign manufacturing capabilities to prevent supply disruptions. However, opinion is divided on this, with some pharmaceutical companies arguing that onshore manufacturing could be prohibitively costly for Australia.

An immediate action recommended in the Inquiry report calls for developing a national strategy to rebuild community trust in vaccines in the next 12-18 months, especially given current declines in COVID-19 booster uptake and general vaccinations.

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