Vaccine Hesitancy

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The recent COVID-19 pandemic has caused over 800,000 deaths in the USA as of this writing. Remarkable, several effective vaccines have been developed within 1 year of the occurrence of the pandemic’s outbreak in the USA. RECENT FINDINGS: Although the vaccine has proven to be remarkably effective in preventing hospitalization and death, the number of unvaccinated persons in the USA who are eligible for the vaccine remains over 35%. SUMMARY: Unvaccinated persons pose a risk for vaccine mutation and prolongation of the pandemic, with its attendant quarantines and societal shutdowns. The ability of clinicians to address this problem remains unclear in a population suspicious of science and of the health care community.