The swift development, authorization and manufacturing of the COVID-19 vaccines have been a remarkable scientific feat that conjures up the great stories of science achievement. While vaccines and vaccination are widely considered one of the great success stories in public health, they may also have become a victim of their own remarkable success; a success that can lead to complacency about the benefits of vaccination and a focus on the potential risks or side effects. These hesitations can compromise vaccination programs and leave populations susceptible to outbreaks—a situation where no one is truly safe, because not enough of us are vaccinated. We've seen remarkable progress in vaccine technology; however, progress in vaccine confidence and distribution, trust in science, and confidence in our institutions tell a different story. In this episode, we dive deep into the science of vaccines with Christine Grady, MSN, PhD; Ernest Grant, PhD, RN, FAAN; Jaquelin P Dudley, PhD; and Lori Boyle, MSN, AGPCNP. Together we discuss the ethics and details of clinical trials and vaccine distribution, and the role that nurses specifically play in developing vaccine confidence and innovating to rapidly and safely achieve mass COVID-19 vaccination.

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Guests Featured in This Episode

• Christine Grady, MSN, PhD
• Ernest Grant, PhD, RN, FAAN
• Jaquelin P Dudley, PhD
• Lori Boyle, MSN, AGPCNP

Additional Resources

• World Health Organization, Immunization
• Nursing World, Pulse of the Nation’s Nurses COVID-19 Survey Series: Covid-19 Vaccine Survey
• New Yorker, Why Are So Many Health Care Workers Resisting the Covid Vaccine?
• ProPublica, Vaccine Distribution Readiness -- Most States Aren’t Ready
• The Hill, Who Should Get Vaccinated Next?
• Los Angeles Times, The Ethics of Vaccine Prioritization and Distribution
• The Challenge of a Lifetime: How to Get Billions of COVID-19 Vaccines Around The World
• Nursing World, A Nursing Approach to the Largest Measles Outbreak in Recent U.S. History: Lessons Learned Battling Homegrown Vaccine Hesitancy