Vaccine hesitancy continues to be the biggest barrier to COVID-19 vaccine uptake, according to a poll conducted during a webinar for healthcare providers Wednesday by healthcare consulting firm Avalere. Two-thirds of respondents also believed misinformation about the vaccine is the prevailing reason for hesitancy. 

“We need to figure out how we are reaching these people and talk to them in a way that is culturally relevant within their community and ensure that the messages come out in a way that people accept,” Abby Bownas, principal at Adult Vaccine Coalition, said during the webinar.

Approximately 65% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While state vaccine mandates and a pending federal mandate have encouraged some care workers to get COVID-19 shots, other care workers remain unvaccinated.

Experts on the webinar blamed vaccine hesitancy partly on an expanding sphere of influence among the American population. Avalere Managing Director Jason Hall said in the past physicians were the primary source of information about vaccines. But he said many people are now getting that information from family members, friends, community leaders and social media.

“The administration (of vaccines) is also expanding,” Hall said. “We’re seeing vaccinations in pharmacies now and pharmacists being involved more. So there is another provider they need to trust to help administer vaccines and be confident that they are getting what they should.”

Hall said patients are also seeking out educational material about the safety and efficacy of vaccines, so providers need to be more cognizant of the data available to the public and respond in ways that help build confidence in the vaccine. 

“Clearly, there needs to be rethinking about how that information is presented and levels of trust about where that information is coming from, then providing a fair and balanced view,” Hall said.

This article originally appeared on McKnights Home Care