To Vaccinate or Not

By Anushree Vashist

Anushree (Anu) is a freelance writer who often covers medicine, science, and higher education. She recently graduated from the University of Chicago with a double major in biological sciences and history.

Fact checked by Jim Lacy

Vaccine messaging from federal officials this past year has been chaotic and ever-changing.

Shikha Jain, MD, a medical oncologist at UI Health, says that when trying to cut through the noise, people should consider whether those giving advice have something to gain. “A lot of people out there who are feeding on your fears do,” Jain says.

Medical societies such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists establish evidence-based guidelines for their specialties.

For now, Jain says, “Go to the societies that are peer-reviewed, that are science-based, that are not from the federal government, because it’s become pretty clear that over the last couple of months, we’ve seen a complete decline of science and evidence- based information being disseminated from [governmental] parties.” She adds, “Science should never be political.”

Jain also addressed patients’ concerns that new leadership at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services might evaluate vaccines less rigorously than in the past.

“What I’m telling those patients is that they should remember that the vaccines they’re receiving are not coming from the federal government,” she says. “They’re coming from these specific pharmaceutical companies that make those vaccines. So if they trusted vaccines before, they should continue to trust them now.”