It’s time for fall shots—and CDC is ready for anti-vaccine nonsense

Enlarge / A pharmacist administers an updated COVID-19 vaccine at a CVS Pharmacy in Eagle Rock, California. (credit: Getty | Irfan Khan)

With fall approaching, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is gearing up efforts to promote three respiratory virus vaccines this year—annual flu shots, new RSV vaccines, and updated COVID-19 shots—and the agency’s plans include confronting vaccine skepticism and hesitancy head-on.

In a presentation to clinicians on Tuesday, the CDC laid out its general recommendations for the use of those vaccines and ended with its four-step strategy to persuade patients swayed by anti-vaccine talking points to come back over to the side of science and public health.

The strategy, developed by the CDC in partnership with experts at the American Psychological Association, isn’t new, but it has become increasingly needed as anti-vaccine misinformation and disinformation gained further ground during the pandemic. Even now, conservative politicians and officials continue to spread misinformation and skepticism about COVID-19 vaccines, leading to a sharp partisan divide in vaccination uptake and intentions.