Toward a meta-vaccine future: Promoting vaccine confidence in the metaverse

Abstract

The metaverse has a promising role to serve as a global platform and tackle one of the most intractable public health challenges; vaccine hesitancy. Active efforts in this field can enhance vaccine acceptance thus leading to better community health protection. By embracing digital health innovations, the metaverse potentially creates an interactive environment for interdisciplinary collaborations that can foster novel approaches in tackling vaccine hesitancy as well as future pandemics. This paper aims to highlight the unique areas where the metaverse can enhance vaccination confidence, educate about vaccine working principles, and offer collaborative healthcare initiatives in this virtual community.