COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in 2026: How Attitudes Have Shifted

In "COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in 2026: How Attitudes Have Shifted," the panel examines how vaccine hesitancy has evolved since the 2021-2022 rollout.

Dr. Jeff Goad shifts the conversation to how pharmacists experience hesitancy in daily practice, from specific safety questions to a general sense among some patients that they are simply done with COVID-19 vaccines. He asks Curlin how today's hesitancy compares with the intense resistance seen during the 2021-2022 rollout.

Curlin describes a clear evolution. The early pandemic produced an abrupt, almost ideological form of resistance narrowly focused on the COVID-19 vaccine specifically, he explains. As the acute public health emergency faded, that sharply divided camp mentality softened. In its place, Curlin observes, a broader apathy toward vaccination has emerged. He points to a concrete example from his own institution: flu vaccine uptake among Oregon Health & Science University employees once reached 90 to 95 percent, but has since dropped significantly. Curlin notes that other universities report the same pattern, driven not by lower flu risk but by general vaccine fatigue.

A smaller, more entrenched minority still holds firmly anti-vaccine beliefs, Curlin adds, often drawing on a wide range of information sources of varying quality. He notes with concern that vaccine skepticism has crept into political leadership in some cases, transforming what should be a scientific conversation into a politicized one.

Goad connects this trend to consequences beyond COVID-19. He notes that declining vaccination rates have contributed to a resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases like measles. Curlin agrees, explaining that the United States is likely to lose its measles elimination certification as vaccination rates continue slipping. Goad cites data showing kindergarten vaccination rates have fallen to roughly 92 percent, below the 95 percent threshold generally needed to prevent sustained outbreaks. Both physicians agree this spillover effect extends well beyond COVID-19 into the broader landscape of vaccine-preventable illness.

Up next, in "COVID-19 Vaccination vs. Natural Infection: Weighing the Real Risks," the experts weigh the real risks of natural infection against vaccination.