Reluctance to recognize COVID-19 as legit illness and hesitance to take the vaccine: how this relates to Claire Decoteau's Piece

 

In this image, you will see someone sharing various conspiracy theories regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, stating things such as the pandemic being a hoax and discouraging people from taking the vaccine. There was indeed a percentage of the population that strongly believed the coronavirus to be the workings of the government. People speculated that the virus was synthetically created to benefit big pharmaceutical companies, who profited greatly from the production of the COVID-19 vaccines. Members of the population, especially members of minority groups, bashed the vaccine, citing associated health risks and saying that the vaccine was produced without knowledge of the effects it would have on people. The mistrust of the government and belief that the pandemic serves a governmental agenda reminds me of the concept she raises of embodied health movements. She defines this term as groups of people citing personal illness experiences to challenge the claims of mainstream science. During the pandemic, many people reported feelings of being ill and other health issues post vaccine. According to Decoteau, a reason for their claims may be due to a mistrust of the health system. In her piece, she discusses how Somali refugees claimed that the ecological changes that came with moving from open-air Somalia to low-budget housing projects in the US resulted in mothers giving birth to children with Autism. The alienation and racial exclusion/discrimination that the Somalis faced serve as explanation for their mistrust of the US government and health similar. The image above relates to the story discussed in the Decoteau piece, as the photo showcases the alternative opinions surrounding the origins of the coronavirus. By calling the pandemic a hoax, the person/people making this claim are displaying an overt mistrust of the facts that mainstream scientists have made people aware of. Additionally, the person in the image is discouraging people from getting the vaccine, which is also encompassed in Decoteau's writing when she discusses how those who mistrust mainstream medical opinions often opt for alternative remedies over established treatments.