New Data Show Fear Is a Good Motivator in Patient Decision Making

Refusal by many to believe that COVID-19 is as transmissible or dangerous as it is (and, subsequently, refusal to follow guidelines on reducing risk for transmission) has been one factor in the nearly unchecked spread of the virus for much of the past year. Public education campaigns fell on deaf ears, too often. Now, however, it appears that the national burden became so great that even naysayers took heed and started changing their ways. According to data from the Department of Health and Human Services, a dozen states report at least a 25% reduction in new cases of COVID-19—with fear of the virus being credited as a key factor, as they say it’s too soon in the vaccination process for that to be a factor in the reduction. HHS says it’s too soon for immunization campaigns to impact the national case load, and is attributing the downward trend to behavioral changes among American. They cautioned, however, that it could take weeks to see a corresponding drop in hospitalization and deaths.