Online on the frontline: A longitudinal social media analysis of UK healthcare workers' attitudes to COVID-19 vaccines using the 5C framework

Is resistance to Covid-19 vaccination a "problem"? A critical policy inquiry of vaccine mandates for healthcare workers

As the COVID-19 global vaccination campaign was launched in December of 2020, vaccination became mandatory for many healthcare workers (HCWs) worldwide. Large minorities resisted the policy, and the responses of authorities to this resistance led to damaged professional reputations, job losses, and suspension or termination of practice licenses. The joint effect of dismissals, early retirements, career changes, and vaccine injuries disabling some compliant HCWs from adequate performance has exacerbated existing crises within health systems. Nevertheless, leading health authorities have maintained that the benefits of a fully vaccinated healthcare labor force-believed to be protecting health systems, vulnerable patient populations, and even HCWs themselves-achieved through mandates, if necessary, outweigh its potential harms. Informed by critical policy and discourse traditions, we examine the expert literature on vaccine mandates for HCWs. We find that this literature neglects evidence that contradicts official claims about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, dismisses the science supporting the contextual nature of microbial virulence, miscalculates patient and system-level harms of vaccination policies, and ignores or legitimizes the coercive elements built into their design. We discuss the implications of our findings for the sustainability of health systems, for patient care, and for the well-being of HCWs, and suggest directions for ethical clinical and policy practice.

No time to lie: Examining the identity of pro-vaccination and anti-vaccination supporters through user-generated content

OBJECTIVE

This study delves into the social identity of pro-vaccination and anti-vaccination supporters, emphasizing an understanding of the values that shape these distinct identities. Furthermore, the research highlights that user-generated content pertaining to vaccines offers valuable insights into the underlying personal values of both pro-vaccination and anti-vaccination groups.

METHOD

We constructed a textual dataset based on 142,596 tweets. This data was analyzed in three steps. First, the linguistic characteristics of the textual data, together with the underlying personal values of the text creators, were identified using LIWC software. Second, the identified personal values were used as an input for the moderation analysis, which examined the relationship between personal values and social identity for pro- and anti-vaccination groups. Finally, an automated, in-depth text analysis was conducted in Mathematica to understand the narratives created by both groups.

RESULTS

The study findings indicate that both pro-vaccination and anti-vaccination supporters display characteristics of subcultures with distinct group identities. Consequently, based on the results, there is a need for more tailored public health communication strategies that address these two groups separately.

CONCLUSIONS

Understanding how users create health-related content based on their personal values is crucial. Acknowledging and appreciating the diverse personal values and identities within different groups in the vaccination discourse can inform health communication efforts, aligning these efforts with the specific values of each group. This targeted communication is vital for effectively conveying relevant peer-reviewed health information amid the abundance of health-related user-generated content.