A new type of vaccine may be coming soon

The nasal application may stimulate the immune system in a more opportune locale, the sinuses.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nose-spray-vaccines-could-quash-covid-virus-variants/

Good news for needle-phobes! 

Same story, as a guest essay in the NYT:

The Answer to Stopping the Coronavirus May Be Up Your Nose

This would be really great -- not only preventing illness, but actually significantly reducing infection as well. And hopefully with it being a spray rather than a needle, a lot of folks hesitating over getting injected would be open to a simple spray.

PVW said:

Same story, as a guest essay in the NYT:

The Answer to Stopping the Coronavirus May Be Up Your Nose

This would be really great -- not only preventing illness, but actually significantly reducing infection as well. And hopefully with it being a spray rather than a needle, a lot of folks hesitating over getting injected would be open to a simple spray.

that would be great, but I have a hard time believing fear of needles is anywhere near as significant as politics in vaccine avoidance. Maybe someone can persuade Tucker Carlson to tell his viewers that the nasal spray is right wing approved.

I'll take any little advantage to move the, uh, needle on public health. And I would not be surprised if for some people the causation goes the other way -- they're scared of needles, and rather than admit it or do the uncomfortable work of just putting that aside, they take the easy route offered by Carlson et al that lets them be heroically standing up for liberty. Remove the needle, remove one psychological barrier -- I suspect the truly committed ideologues is smaller than those who just don't like getting shots.

PVW said:

I'll take any little advantage to move the, uh, needle on public health. And I would not be surprised if for some people the causation goes the other way -- they're scared of needles, and rather than admit it or do the uncomfortable work of just putting that aside, they take the easy route offered by Carlson et al that lets them be heroically standing up for liberty. Remove the needle, remove one psychological barrier -- I suspect the truly committed ideologues is smaller than those who just don't like getting shots.

more than 90% of Americans are vaccinated for MMR as an example. I'm going to disagree with you on the influence of ideology vs. needle-phobia as the cause of the roughly one-quarter COVID vaccine refusal.

Here's to hoping the nasal spray vaccine becomes a reality and we can find out who's right!

There is no one alive who is more phobic of shots/needles than I am. No one. But for this? I haunted sign up sites and took the first appointment I could get last spring. So anyone who has tried to use the “I’m so afraid of needles” line on me hasn’t gotten far. 

The phobia is because the vaccine is new. Many people in this country don't have healthy relationships with the medical field. 

the18thletter said:

The phobia is because the vaccine is new. Many people in this country don't have healthy relationships with the medical field. 

The phobia is because many people in this country are idiots who get their "information" from even bigger idiots like Carlson and Rogen (both of whom are vaccinated).  It is all about the perceived culture war.

And to muddy the waters, there are articles like this:

https://fortune.com/2022/05/16/omicron-infection-covid-protects-better-than-booster/

mfpark said:

The phobia is because many people in this country are idiots who get their "information" from even bigger idiots like Carlson and Rogen (both of whom are vaccinated).  It is all about the perceived culture war.

I'm speaking of the people who had unhealthy relationships with medical professionals prior to COVID. Most of the ones I know have probably never heard either  Tucker or Rogans opinions.