Dr. Rana Alissa hears it daily in the clinic. “It’s better for my child to get the virus than get the vaccine.” “The more you [doctors] vaccinate, the more money you get.” “I did not vaccinate any of my children, and I’m not going to vaccinate this one. So, please, don’t waste your time.” The Jacksonville, Florida, pediatrician said on average, she’d hear vaccine skepticism from a couple of parents a month, at most, before the COVID-19 pandemic. “Now, it’s every day,” said Alissa, who is also president of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
