No Vax: Why They Lost Their Battle

A violent minority prevailed. The facts and figures support the vaccine's use. Political support for anti-vax extremists is merely evidence of irresponsibility.

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Who are the anti-vaxxers?

The time will come when someone will present the detailed bill of the victims of denialism on vaccines against Covid-19, the people who died because they refused to accept the idea of ​​taking this precaution, or those who convinced others, dragging them into the abyss. Thousands and thousands of lives wasted. But already at this stage, while the battle against coronavirus is still open, we can sum up one result: the Anti-Vax movement has lost. And not because they are a minority, which should not be underestimated, but for more specific reasons that have to do with their identity and their mistakes.

WHO ARE THE NO VAXERS?

Let's start with the identikit of the people who are part of the anti-vaccine universe: Who are the No Vax? Thanks to research institutes, we have a fairly complete picture of this world, which doesn't entirely identify with the 10 million Italians over 12 who are still unvaccinated, approximately 20 percent of the population. In reality, the anti-vax population is made up of 5-6 million men and women., who are not few and have the full right to express their opinions. As long as they don't harm, to the point of waste, the lives of others. Within this segment of the anti-vaccine population, there are some very different categories. The first is the conspiracy theorists, die-hard and pure. Behind the vaccine, they see great international conspiracies: in favor of Big Pharma or for the "restructuring of the capitalist system" and in the exclusive interest of the powerful forces of global industry and finance. The Facebook page of the Coordination of the Movement for Vaccine Freedom, one of the most active bodies of the hard-line anti-vaxxers, boasts 5,000 fans who surf the internet 24/7. This segment of the anti-vaccine movement also includes those who oppose any form of vaccination. Vaccine and against any disease, citing "scientific" justifications. What's at stake here isn't a single tool against Covid-19, but the entire healthcare system based on mass vaccination. Hence the idea that any vaccine carries a risk due to its possible side effects, ranging from muscle paralysis to autism.

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THE NO-VAX PEOPLE

Then there is a component of No vax which includes "people who are hesitant about the vaccine”. They are men and women who have a thousand fears and some phobiasThey are exposed to the risks of loneliness, of misinformation, of feeling abandoned. Fragile people, who perhaps have heard, even just through word of mouth, some statements from die-hard anti-vaxxers and have decided not to protect themselves. Or they are scared of reactions to the vaccine and have had some bad experiences in the past. This segment of the anti-vaxxers certainly includes a significant portion of the 2 million Italians over 60 who have not yet had a single dose of the vaccine. VaccineThey're glued to the TV every day, but they can't get over their fears and remain frozen in place. The last two significant data points about anti-vaxxers concern age and education level. The age group most susceptible to this stance is between 35 and 49, with no more than a middle school education. 30 percent of Italian anti-vaxxers get their information from social media..

ITALY'S NO-VAX ANTI-VASION

Anti-vax Italy, therefore, is very diverse and is not made up only of obtuse, insensitive people, incapable of discussion and change of mind. It's a wave that comes from afar, and we at Non sprecare know this well, given that within our community there are many representatives of the people against the vaccinesIn general, however, these are people who want to discuss, are not aggressive, and try to document their beliefs. They also rely on an incontrovertible lever: on vaccines, in general, there have also been many speculations and exaggerations.

But the peaceful protests of the anti-vaxxers lead us to the primary cause of their defeat, now complete, in this battle against the Covid-19 vaccination and, even more so, against the green pass. A minority of violent and intolerant people prevailedIt was they, I repeat: a minority of the anti-vax population, who took the lead of an entire universe of people, and they did so through the use of exasperated language, fueled by the venting of social media and the cynicism of television, captive, on the information front, of the quarrelsome programming of talk shows. We understood that the No vax get ratings, like the Narcisi professors on the other side of the field who are in favor of vaccination: but this does not benefit either the information or the way Italians are dealing with the pandemic.

WHY THE NO VAXES LOST

This minority, which also resorted to physical violence, monopolized the entire No front and ensured that 65 percent of the disinformation passed through their online posts. This resulted in a total loss of credibility and a huge waste of energy. But the Anti-vax movement also lost for a second reason, which is called "the force of circumstances." vaccination campaign In Italy, especially in the first phase but also partly in the second, it was riddled with errors. So much money was wasted on masks and school desks and on unused medicines. However, the facts, the "force of things," speak for themselves, even regardless of the overwhelmingly favorable scientific literature. And they tell us that today's situation bears no resemblance to that of a year ago or to that of the first phase of the pandemic. The dead have collapsed (although it remains scandalous that there are still so many of them); hospitalizations, especially in intensive care, have decreased enormously and we no longer have pressure on hospitals. We're not back to normal, but life has resumed, kids are back to school, university classes have resumed in person, the economy has restartedAnd all the change can be traced back to one thing, the only difference from last year: the vaccine's results. We don't know exactly how its formulation, use, and distribution will evolve, starting with the necessary doses. This, too, is undeniable, but it doesn't detract from the universal benefits achieved thanks to the vaccine. Denying it is just denying reality.Like the one contained in this simple number: 90 percent of intensive care admissions currently concern anti-vax people.

NO-VAX AND POLITICS

Finally, there is one last element that explains the defeat of the anti-vaccine camp: political interferenceThe parties, or what remains of them, both center-right and center-left, have attempted, in a rather crude and clumsy way, to exploit this part of Italy that refuses to be vaccinated, for various reasons and not just ideological conviction. An act of great irresponsibility, inspired solely by the attempt to win votes: but in Italy we are in a perpetual election campaign, and everything is open to vote. Even putting your flag on the dangerous deviations of a part of the population.

INFORMATION AGAINST ANTI-VAX

The real black hole which should be plugged to deal with the anti-vaxxers with more determination and better results it is that of informationWatching TV, reading social media, watching some programs on many channels, it seems that the anti-vax population has the same consistency as the pro-vax population. vaccinesThis isn't the case, and the numbers, as we've seen, leave no doubt. But anti-vaxxers are communicating more frequently and more effectively. A national and regional vaccine communication plan is needed, as Guido Rasi, former executive director of the EMA, has also called for. And not the usual Progress Advertising campaigns, entrusted to the usual testimonials. We're talking about an incisive and widespread communications plan that will be necessary for one reason: the war against the coronavirus is not yet won. And unfortunately, it will be a long one.

CORONAVIRUS: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

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