Why the anti-vaxxer movement is gaining ground amid a pandemic

The fear that politics is driving vaccine approvals and a distrust of Trump are playing into wider safety fears in the US

A demonstration in Plaza de Colon in Madrid, Spain, on Aug 16 against the mandatory wearing of face masks in public spaces and vaccines as health measures in the fight against the coronavirus. Polls show that as the pandemic rages on, American citize
A demonstration in Plaza de Colon in Madrid, Spain, on Aug 16 against the mandatory wearing of face masks in public spaces and vaccines as health measures in the fight against the coronavirus. Polls show that as the pandemic rages on, American citizens have become less confident about the safety of a vaccine, and according to a British study, there is also substantial opposition to vaccines in other high-income countries such as France. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

Ms Greer McVay insists she is "not an anti-vaxxer - not at all". She is up to date with her own immunisations and had her son vaccinated when he was a child. But she fears the development of a vaccine for coronavirus is being dangerously rushed, in part to improve United States President Donald Trump's prospects ahead of the presidential election in November.

"This situation is different because of the politics that have been injected into the process and the speed at which they're developing the vaccines," says Ms McVay, a communications consultant from California and a supporter of the Democratic Party. "Frankly, I don't trust this president. It just gives me pause."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 28, 2020, with the headline Why the anti-vaxxer movement is gaining ground amid a pandemic. Subscribe