Experts say governments should focus more on understanding social science to increase updated COVID booster rates

What can the US do to increase updated COVID booster rates? Experts say public health officials will need to meet Americans where they are to increase rates of COVID-19 updated booster shots. ABC News ABC News

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Experts told ABC News that COVID-19 is not currently top of mind for many Americans and that public health officials and community leaders need to meet people where they are.

Dr. Benjamin Rosenberg, an assistant professor of psychology at Dominican University of California and director of the Health and Motivation Lab, thinks one reason for the lagging rate is because U.S. public health officials have focused too much on "bench science" -- work conducted in a laboratory -- and not "social science," which studies people's behaviors, thoughts and beliefs. ...

He continued, "Obviously variants emerge and are more contagious, our immunity wanes, but a lot of what drives surges is human behavior and so to not be talking to folks who study this is I think really a big, big mistake."

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