As community pharmacists, you occupy a unique position in healthcare. Pharmacists are the most accessible healthcare professionals, seeing patients regularly and building relationships that span years or even decades. This trust and accessibility makes you ideally positioned to address one of today’s most pressing public health challenges: vaccine hesitancy.
Even though vaccines have been saving lives for over 200 years — and, some would say, even longer than that — there are still a number of people who don’t trust their safety or efficacy. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted both the critical importance of vaccination and the complex web of concerns that some people will use to opt out of getting vaccines. As we continue to navigate seasonal illnesses like the flu, COVID, RSV, and others, understanding and addressing vaccine hesitancy has become an essential part of a pharmacist’s professional responsibility.
Understanding the Landscape of Vaccine Hesitancy
Vaccine hesitancy isn’t some monolithic phenomenon. It exists on a spectrum, from those who simply have questions or concerns to those who firmly reject vaccination with deep and often personal convictions. The World Health Organization identified vaccine hesitancy as one of the top ten global health threats, making the role of pharmacists in addressing it more crucial than ever.
Vaccine hesitancy often stems from a combination of factors: concerns about safety and side effects, questions about effectiveness, distrust of healthcare systems or pharmaceutical companies, religious or philosophical beliefs, and sometimes simply a lack of convenient access to vaccination services.
Common Concerns & Thoughtful Responses
“I’m worried about side effects.”
This is perhaps the most common concern healthcare professionals encounter, and it’s entirely understandable. All medications and vaccines can have side effects, and patients have every right to be informed about them.
When a patient expresses this concern, pharmacists can acknowledge their feelings while providing context. The vast majority of vaccine side effects are mild and temporary — soreness at the injection site, low-grade fever, a mild rash, or fatigue that generally resolves within a day or two. These reactions actually indicate that the immune system is responding appropriately.
For more serious concerns, discuss the actual risk data with your patients. Go over the vaccine information statement (VIS) for the vaccine you’re discussing, paying close attention to the section on vaccine reactions. Severe adverse events from vaccines are extremely rare, often occurring in one or two out of every million doses. To put this in perspective, the risk of serious complications from the flu itself is thousands of times higher than the risk of serious vaccine complications. According to the CDC, the 2024-2025 flu season resulted in at least 47 million flu-related illnesses and 610,000 hospitalizations for serious flu-related complications. In other words, one out of every 100 people infected with the flu virus developed serious complications, compared to the one out of every 1 million who experience serious complications from vaccination.
You can also personalize the discussion by considering the patient’s individual risk factors. For someone with diabetes, heart disease, or other chronic conditions, the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks, since these individuals are at much higher risk for severe outcomes from vaccine-preventable diseases.
“I don’t think vaccines are very effective.”
This concern often arises from misunderstands about how vaccine effectiveness is measured and communicated. When patients hear that a flu vaccine is “40% effective,” for instance, they might think it doesn’t work very well.
Pharmacists can help patients understand that vaccine effectiveness isn’t just about preventing infection entirely — it’s about reducing risk across the population. Even when vaccines don’t prevent infection completely, they often reduce the severity and duration illness. For example, in a vaccinated population, a vaccine efficacy of 40% means that 40% fewer people will contract the disease when they come in contact with the virus.
With any vaccinated population, breakthrough infections can occur. Even then, vaccinated individuals typically experience milder symptoms and are less likely to require medical care.
“I don’t trust pharmaceutical companies.”
This concern reflects broader issues of trust in institutions and deserves a thoughtful response. Regardless of patient skepticism about for-profit pharmaceutical companies, it helps to remind your patients that there are robust regulatory systems in place. Before any vaccine reaches the public, it must go through extensive clinical trials involving tens of thousands of participants, followed by rigorous review by independent scientists at regulatory agencies like the FDA. Even after approval, vaccines continue to be monitored for safety and effectiveness.
You can also emphasize that scientific research supporting vaccination extends far beyond any single company’s research. Independent researchers at universities, public health agencies, and healthcare systems worldwide have consistently demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of vaccines.
For you, it’s not about the financial incentive and reimbursements. It’s about helping your community stay healthy and protecting the most vulnerable members of your population from preventable illnesses.
“I’m healthy, so I don’t need it. That’s what my immune system is for.”
This objection reflects a focus on individual rather than population health. Healthy individuals without any chronic conditions are indeed at a lower risk for severe outcomes from diseases like influenza and COVID-19. However, vaccination isn’t just about personal protection. Healthy individuals can still become seriously ill, miss work or school, and experience complications. More importantly, even if they don’t become visibly sick, they can still transmit infections to others who may be at higher risk.
To respond to this kind of objection, discuss the concept of community immunity and how their vaccination could help protect elderly family members, immunocompromised friends and family, newborn babies, and others who may not be able to mount a strong immune response to the vaccines themselves.
Strategies for Effective Communication
Listen first, educate second.
Before you can address concerns, you need to understand them. Creating a safe space for patients to express their worries without judgment is essential. Sometimes, simply feeling heard can reduce anxiety and open the door to productive conversation.
Active listening also helps to identify the specific concerns that matter most to each patients, allowing you to tailor your response accordingly. A patient worried about fertility effects, for example, needs different information than one concerned about drug companies.
Use clear, non-technical language.
Medical jargon can be intimidating and may inadvertently create barriers to understanding. When explaining concepts like herd immunity, vaccine effectiveness, or adverse event monitoring, use everyday language and relatable analogies.
For example, you could compare the body’s immune system to a security system that needs to recognize threats, or you could explain vaccine effectiveness using familiar concepts like seatbelts — they don’t prevent all injuries, but they significantly reduce the risk of serious harm.
Acknowledge uncertainty when appropriate.
Healthcare is rarely black and white, and vaccines are no exception. When patients ask about long-term effects of newer vaccines, it’s okay to acknowledge that we don’t have decades of data while also explaining what we do know about vaccine safety monitoring and why serious long-term effects are highly unlikely based on our understanding of immunology.
Surprisingly, this kind of honesty can actually build trust. Patients appreciate healthcare providers who don’t claim to have all the answers but can explain the reasoning behind their recommendations.
The Broader Impact of Your Effort
When you successfully address vaccine hesitancy, you’re not just helping individual patients — you’re contributing to broader public health efforts. Higher vaccination rates in our communities mean fewer hospitalizations, reduced strain on the healthcare system, and better protection for vulnerable populations.
Promoting vaccines also contributes to health equity. Vaccine hesitancy impacts some communities more than others. As accessible healthcare providers, you can help ensure that all patients have access to accurate information and vaccination services.
Moving Forward: A Commitment to Patient-Centered Care
Addressing vaccine hesitancy requires patience, empathy, and a commitment to meeting patients where they are. It’s not about winning arguments or changing minds through force of will — it’s about providing information, addressing concerns, and supporting patients in making informed decisions about their health.
As pharmacists, you have the training, the trust, and the opportunity to make a real difference in vaccination rates and public health outcomes. By approaching vaccine hesitancy with understanding rather than judgment, you can help your patients navigate their concerns and make decisions that protect both their individual health and the health of their communities. The role of a pharmacist extends beyond simply administering vaccines. You are educators, advocates, and trusted advisors in one of the most important public health interventions available. By embracing this role with compassion and commitment, you can help build healthier, more resilient communities for everyone.