Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic there has been a tsunami of misinformation and conspiracy theories that have the potential to reduce the uptake of any of the 20 + candidate vaccines that are in the pipe-line.
With the imminent availability of one or more vaccines it will not be long before governments and public health agencies are in the game of persuading the mass of the population to take advantage of the vaccine availability. However, as we know only too well, significant sections of populations in most countries display low trust in governments and in vaccine safety.
To address this issue myself and colleagues Sameer Deshpande (Griffith University), Doug Evans (George Washington University), Rafael Obregon (UNICEF) have just published a paper that sets out what we know about the factors that need to be addressed and what actions need to be put in place to ensure the maximum positive uptake of COVID19 vaccines as they come on stream.
Research shows that general vaccine hesitancy (i.e. ‘the delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite the availability of vaccination services’) is rising for several diseases, resulting in serious disease outbreaks. For example, 11 European countries experienced more than 1000 cases of measles in 2008. Vaccine hesitancy has also steadily increased in more than 90% of countries since 2014.
Given this situation’s potential to undermine vaccination coverage, all states must take steps to understand the extent and nature of hesitancy and to start promoting COVID-19 vaccine uptake now in advance of its availability.
As the WHO recommends, ‘each country should develop a strategy to increase acceptance and demand for vaccination’. To do this each country must consider the appropriate time to start promoting the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines based on the specific trajectory of COVID-19 infection and its ability to provide access to vaccination. As COVID-19 vaccination uptake develops, governments will also of course need to continue to promote other protective behaviours such as handwashing and physical distancing.
In the paper we set out ten action areas based on what we know works that governments and public health bodies across the world should take to enhance the impact of their pro-vaccination strategy. We base our summary on recommended best practice with the aim of assisting professionals to digest the mass of guidance that already.
Our key message is that it is imperative that planning for a COVID-19 vaccination uptake promotion begins in advance of vaccine availability for two reasons. First, countries will need to build consensus about the order in which population sub groups will get access to the vaccine. Second is the need to proactively reduce fear and concern and create demand for vaccines among all the subgroups that exist in each country.
A key part of this strategy is also to counter the anti-vaccination movement that is already promoting hesitancy and resistance. To counter the anti-vaccination movement effectively it will be necessary to build a positive narrative about the personal, community and global benefits associated with vaccination.
Key guidelines for developing a proactive COVID-19 Pro-Vaccination Strategy
- Systematic behaviour change planning
- Audience targeting and segmentation
- Competition and barrier analysis and action
- Mobilization of all assets, partners and stakeholders
- Vaccine demand building
- Community engagement
- Ease of vaccine access
- Marketing promotions strategy
- News and media relations and outreach
- Digital media strategy
Finally, we argue that key to the success of promoting vaccine uptake will be a significant and sustained strategic program, including strengthening of local capacities, to build and maintain a dialogue, confidence and trust. A crucial factor in the delivery of such a two-way communication approach, trust and demand building approach is the need for investment in communication, behavioral influence, and community engagement capital and capability.
Communication and behavioral influence are often underfunded and under-resourced in public health organizations and within government ministries. Building communication and behavioral influence capacity and expertise should now be a top priority.
It is now often said that everything will be different in the post COVID world. Hopefully one difference will be a commitment to investment in developing and delivering on these 10 key action elements.
This investment will need to be sustained over time in line with best practice requirements regarding risk communication, health promotion and community engagement so that we are better prepared for inevitable future events.
Read the full paper.
Professor Jeff French is a global thought-leader in the fields of behavioural influence, social marketing, and social communication. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Strategic Social Marketing, a visiting professor at the University of Brighton and a Fellow at Kings College University in London.