Christian Nationalist ideology might hamper development of herd immunity to coronavirus, fear epidemiologists and policy-makers
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Coronavirus in the world is a real thing. It is affecting and killing many people worldwide. Despite this, there are some who continue to claim that it is fake and a myth. Vaccines against the deadly disease have been produced and their administration to frontline healthcare workers has begun. The effectiveness of the vaccine and its relative safety has risen the hopes of the medical fraternity and also the public. Health organizations feel that now the pandemic may be brought under control. But they are worried that if many of the Americans refuse a vaccination, herd immunity may be difficult to achieve.
Vaccination size and herd immunity
Many world leaders of the world including Donald Trump refused to initiate an aggressive approach to the coronavirus pandemic. They were relying on a vaccine and now the vaccine has rolled out for public use in many countries. But epidemiologists fear that if many Americans refuse the covid-19 vaccine, it would be difficult to get an adequate herd immunity against the virus.
Herd immunity explained [Source: Technology Networks] |
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There is a lot of suspicion surrounding the vaccine and a countercurrent is flowing against the vaccination drive. Religious heads are also against it and one of them are the Christian nationalists. A new study has revealed that Christian Nationalists who are 25% of the American population are the ones that are questioning the safety of the vaccines. They are presently in a state of misinformation on it.
Christian Nationalists and their justification against the vaccine
Many of the Christian nationalists feel that the vaccine causes autism. They feel that they are unsafe and do not help. There are some who feel that the people who are imposing it are dishonest and hence the vaccine should be avoided. It is likely that such misinformation could lead to a number of Americans not going for the voluntary vaccination and herd immunity will not be achieved. Currently, the virus is spreading still in the USA and controlling it might be difficult.
A survey also showed that Americans fear to have the vaccine. 1219 recruits were questioned about their fears for the vaccine. It was conducted by Chapman University. The vaccination attitude of the participants was taken and compared.
Religion vs state [Source: Christian Chronicle] |
They were asked to agree or not agree to the following questions.
1. Vaccines are the cause of autism.
2. Doctors and drug companies do not inform vacinees about the risks of vaccines.
3. People should have the right to decide whether they want their kids to have the vaccination.
4. Children are already getting too many vaccines.
5. Vaccines do not help to prevent children from many dangerous diseases.
The Christian nationalism of the participants was also queried into. They were asked:
1. Should the federal government declare that the USA is a Christian nation.
2. The government should start advocating Christian values.
3. The government should not interfere in Church matters. There should be a strict separation of Church and State.
4. The federal government should not prohibit prayer in public schools.
5. The government should not say no to religious symbols in public places.
The survey results
And these people were more against vaccination. This was irrespective of the race, education level, political ideology, and political party influences of the people who adhere to Christian nationalism. They are suspicious of science and medicine. They strongly believe that scientists are against religion. They feel that the USA relies more on science than on religion. They want leaders to be friendly and not hostile to religion. They want secular scientists. In the other two studies also it was seen that Christian nationalists ignore protocols of covid-19. They want individual liberty and economic prosperity and not the protection of the weak and vulnerable groups.
Christian nationalist ideology [Source: The Federalist] |
These people also disobeyed stay-at-home orders and MCO. In this, they are supported by politicians that see them as vote banks. They promise them to advance their views and values. In the past, Donald Trump had supported anti-vaccination movements. The study was done in 2019 about vaccination attitudes and no direct covid-19 vaccine questions were asked because there was no covid at that time.
Thus Christian Nationalist ideology might hamper the progress of vaccination in the right direction and lead to its failure. Handling this issue is vital.
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