Each month, CREATION.co’s COVID-19 vaccine tracker brings you the latest insights into the online healthcare professionals (HCPs) responding to the latest news and trial results for COVID-19 vaccine candidates.
Discover what healthcare professionals (HCPs) think about pharmaceutical products and their manufacturers, as it happens, through CREATION.co’s tracking updates. Each week CREATION.co’s tracking updates bring you the latest insights from the conversation of HCPs across the globe discussing Top 50 pharma, respiratory disease and more.
The Top 10 covid-19 vaccine candidates mentioned by HCPs on Twitter in January
January’s insights from HCPs mentioning covid-19 vaccine candidates on Twitter
Whilst the first month of 2021 has brought with it a modest decrease in mentions (likely due to the number of approvals that were announced in December) there is still a notable consistency between HCP activity in January within the vaccine candidate conversation, and HCP online discussion in 2020. Firstly, discussion still orbits around the same vaccine candidates that have either already been approved and have entered distribution, or are extremely close to approval and distribution. In particular, the ‘big 3’ have continued to occupy the lion’s share of HCP discussion on Twitter, that is, the vaccine candidates being manufactured by Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna.
In keeping with our findings from previous months, the content of HCP online discussion in this space is primarily concerned with practical obstacles that threaten the successful distribution of a vaccine. In January, this meant a lot of information sharing around the efficacy of vaccine candidates against new variants of the virus. As new clinical information about the vaccine candidates and their associated risk factors continues to develop, many HCPs have made attempts to acquaint themselves with this developing knowledge and share this new information with peers and patients.
Surprise, surprise.
WHO now recommends pregnant women avoid the COVID vaccines.https://t.co/ZgbRAOL4Ie
— James Todaro, MD (@JamesTodaroMD) January 28, 2021
Providing solutions and commentary to splintering problems
Another noteworthy subset of the conversation in January recognised that for each nation in charge of its own distribution programme, there have been unique challenges and obstacles.
News of deaths following vaccine administration in Norway caused some HCPs to ask whether the vaccine was responsible, or whether this reflected individual challenges faced by Norway. Others were more willing to point the finger and comment on the efficacy of their government’s distribution programme- some HCPs have been defending pharmaceutical companies where they have been wrongfully accused of hindering distribution efforts. Others have expressed lament that current political currents are going to contribute to a low uptake rate amongst the adult population, potentially constituting an obstacle for the vaccination effort.
#Ontario blames its inability to vaccinate all #LTC residents on #Pfizer's initial handling requirements.
We now learn that Pfizer loosened its guidelines on Dec 18, yet #Ontario took until Jan 5 to move vaccines into homes.
This is a scandalous failure: https://t.co/3AaEH0J8ow
— Nathan Stall (@NathanStall) January 25, 2021
In the midst of these cynical evaluations, there is good news that HCPs have been quick to share and celebrate. Collaborations between pharmaceutical companies to help match vaccine supply with demand has also generated significant interest among HCPs.
As the situation develops, HCPs address particular rather than general problems
Compared with previous months, it may be said that HCP topics of conversation are focusing on many particular problems that are getting in the way of the ultimate goal of successful vaccine administration. This is perhaps understandable, knowing that a handful of vaccine candidates already have proven efficacy in major patient populations. Now that the development of a working vaccine has been achieved, it would follow that administration to the public is the main thing standing in the way between us and the end of the pandemic.
HCP conversation around this area has become more reactionary, responding to specific problems by particular actors, rather than general comments about what it takes to develop a vaccine, or what steps we need to take to ensure we do not infect others. HCPs have exhibited a practical attitude during this pandemic in their online communications, primarily concerned with the challenges and obstacles that are presenting themselves here and now. In January, this meant a lot of discussion around efficacy against novel variants and the quality of nations’ distribution programmes.
As the conversation develops and more obstacles towards a high uptake rate manifest themselves, let us continue to listen to HCPs’ analyses of the situation, as they are uniquely placed to provide insights that will be important for anyone wishing to contribute to protecting public health during this pandemic.
We will be tracking the online HCP conversation to identify trends and change in views relating to COVID-19 vaccines. You can stay up to date with HCP insights by subscribing to CREATION Knowledge e-journal.
- Data for this research was analysed using CREATION Pinpoint® from the online Twitter conversations of HCPs around the world in English language (other languages are available), between January 1st – January 31st, 2021.
- Vaccines tracked were the 79 COVID-19 vaccine candidates in clinical evaluation before 26 January 2021 (WHO Draft landscape of COVID-19 candidate vaccines).
