Pharmacists Bridge the Vaccine Trust Gap as COVID-19 Persists

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Vaccine hesitancy among parents and the general population has grown, fueled in part by misinformation and an erosion of trust in once-trusted government health entities, clinicians, and health organizations.^1,2

Yet among these pillars of health care knowledge are pharmacists, who are uniquely placed to be more accessible to patients and those with practical concerns or wariness about vaccines or infectious diseases.² Pharmacists are in the community, and people trust the people in their community, Jeffery A. Goad, PharmD, MPH, professor of pharmacy practice at Chapman University School of Pharmacy, said in an interview with The American Journal of Managed Care®.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, trust in federal agencies began to erode early on as recommendations and guidelines changed, which is expected in the scientific community with a brand-new pathogen, Goad explained. Although many patients didn't understand that, they could always go back to their pharmacist for straight information, he said, noting that Gallup polls routinely rank pharmacists among the most trusted professionals.

“People are already coming to us with all kinds of different questions,” he said. “The pharmacist is uniquely accessible. They're behind the counter. They're not behind walls in a building, so it makes it easier for people to come in and address some of their issues.”

Yet when comparing the questions pharmacists received during the pandemic vs now, Goad noted that questions used to focus on [adverse] effects and the vaccine itself, including the then-new mRNA technology. Now, patients are asking, “Do I need another dose?” he explained.

Wastewater surveillance earlier this year showed an uptick in SARS-CoV-2 levels, alongside reports of the BA.3.2 lineage, commonly referred to as the Cicada variant, in April.³ By August, the XFG, or Stratus, variant accounted for most variants detected in San Francisco Bay Area wastewater as levels climbed again.⁴ The data still show peaks in the summer and again in the fall and winter, Goad explained, and people are still being hospitalized and dying from COVID-19.

“Is it less than at the beginning of the pandemic? Absolutely, as we have more people with population immunity, more people getting vaccinated, the variants changing over their evolution, it has been changing, all in a good direction for us, but it doesn't mean it's gone,” he explained. “People are still dying. The vaccine is still preventative. We still need that message to get out to people that we're not done yet.”

References

1. McCrear S. Back-to-school vaccines: what clinicians need to know in 2026. AJMC®. August 27, 2026. Accessed October 2, 2026. https://www.ajmc.com/view/back-to-school-vaccines-what-clinicians-need-to-know-in-2026

2. McCrear S, Madison C. Pharmacists fight measles misinformation: Christina Madison, PharmD. AJMC®. October 1, 2026. Accessed October 2, 2026. https://www.ajmc.com/view/pharmacists-fight-measles-misinformation-christina-madison-pharmd

3. McCrear S. COVID-19 may follow a different seasonal pattern than influenza, RSV. AJMC®. June 29, 2026. Accessed October 2, 2026. https://www.ajmc.com/view/covid-19-may-follow-a-different-seasonal-pattern-than-influenza-rsv

4. McCrear S. COVID is back in the Bay Area: is it the XFG “Stratus” variant? AJMC®. August 17, 2026. Accessed October 2, 2026. https://www.ajmc.com/view/covid-is-back-in-the-bay-area-is-it-the-xfg-stratus-variant-