COVID-19 vaccines and the fear of side effects

Large numbers of people, worldwide, say they do not want to be vaccinated against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, despite the deaths and the havoc it has caused. Mistrust of vaccines is not new, but the pandemic has shown how extensive it is. Asked for the reasons for their mistrust people commonly refer to a fear of side-effects. This paper discusses systems for reporting vaccine-related side effects and suggests they should be modified in order to promote greater public confidence.