18 J
EFFREY
S. M
OORAD
S
PORTS
L
AW
J
OURNAL
[Vol. 29: p. 1
ing was adequate (e.g., why only an emergency FDA approval?).
60
Finally, psychological reasons for vaccine hesitance have also been
offered; for example, in the U.K. and Ireland:
Vaccine hesitance/resistance has. . .been associated with
conspiratorial, religious, and paranoid beliefs, while mis-
trust of authoritative members of society, such as govern-
ment officials, scientists, and health care professionals, has
been linked to negative attitudes towards vaccinations, as
has endorsement of authoritarian political views, societal
disaffection, and intolerance of migrants.
61
With the onset of the Delta variant of Covid-19 in mid-2021, a large
number of those who would probably or definitely not get vacci-
nated believed that “U.S. officials are exaggerating the risk of the
delta variant—and 79% think they have little or no risk of getting
sick from the coronavirus.”
62
Perception of (low) risk alongside po-
litical affiliation (i.e., distrust of the Biden administration messag-
60. See Alberto Coustasse et al., COVID-19 and Vaccine Hesitancy, 44
J.
OF
A
MBU-
LATORY
C
ARE
M
GMT
.
71-75 (Jan. 2021), https://journals.lww.com/ambulatorycare
management/Fulltext/2021/01000/COVID_19_and_Vaccine_Hesitancy__
A_Challenge_the.10.aspx?context=latestArticles&casa_token=LWQHEi0oJv
AAAAAA:UGhvkFUshxA-xePvbXOm3pVctYGuyTcrmqWaBdaOAFFYKFCX
l06Ga51aZfwbdIuyIpQmoAT2W39ofO7I7HS-wv0. [https://perma.cc/Y6HE-8PAP]
(discussing other concerns contributing to vaccine hesitancy); See also Maggie Fox,
Operation Warp Speed is Fueling Vaccine Fears, Two Top Experts Worry, CNN Health
(June 5, 2020) https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/05/health/warp-speed-
coronavirus-vaccine-worries/index.html [https://perma.cc/P2H7-59HL] (“Opera-
tion Warp Speed’ vaccine program, with its emphasis on quick production and
testing of experimental coronavirus vaccines, is fueling fears already stirred up by
vaccine skeptics. . .”). There are additional concerns of fraud and bias, due to
conflicts of interest, in the regulatory process. See Eugene McCarthy, The Regulatory
Production of Vaccine Hesitance, 86
B
ROOK
. L. R
EV
. 81, 84 and 96 (2021), https://
brooklynworks.brooklaw.edu/blr/vol86/iss1/3 [https://perma.cc/M832-KLNV]
(“Despite extensive FDA safety protocols, vaccine critics perceive regulatory loop-
holes and occasional financial conflicts of interest as cause for concern in the vac-
cine approval process. In particular, critics express concerns over industry-
sponsored clinical trials, post-market vaccine safety analysis, and the revolving door
between the FDA, CDC, and the pharmaceutical industry.”).
61. See Jamie Murphy et al., Psychological Characteristics Associated With COVID-
19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Resistance in Ireland and the United Kingdom, 12
N
ATURE
C
OMM
.
29 (Jan. 4, 2021), https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/
PMC7782692/ [https://perma.cc/UEK2-GELA] (listing socioeconomic, personal
and cultural reasons for vaccine refusal).
62. See Gary Langer, Vaccine-Hesitant Americans Reject Delta Variant Risk, Posing
Questions For Pandemic Recovery: POLL, ABC
N
EWS
(July 4, 2021), https://
abcnews.go.com/Politics/vaccine-hesitant-americans-reject-delta-variant-risk-pos-
ing/story?id=78609691 [https://perma.cc/Z9PA-QQ3H] (“Several groups are es-
pecially likely to say it’s being exaggerated, including Republicans (57%),
conservatives (55%), evangelical white Protestants (49%) and rural residents
(47%).”).