Persuade citizens to take vaccines

Obituaries
The government’s roll-out of the Covid-19 immunisation programme that began with a donation of 200 000 doses of China’s Sinopharm vaccine has revealed glaring shortcomings that must be rectified immediately to avoid vaccine hesitancy. A majority of people clearly understand that to slow down the spread of the coronavirus that has grounded their lives for […]

The government’s roll-out of the Covid-19 immunisation programme that began with a donation of 200 000 doses of China’s Sinopharm vaccine has revealed glaring shortcomings that must be rectified immediately to avoid vaccine hesitancy.

A majority of people clearly understand that to slow down the spread of the coronavirus that has grounded their lives for nearly a year, there is need to deploy effective vaccines.

Vaccines have been used around the world over the years as one of the most cost-effective public health strategies and Zimbabweans are familiar with very successful immunisation programmes in the past.

Naturally, some will have questions around the safety and efficacy of the Covid-19 vaccines, given the slew of misinformation on the internet from mischievous sources.

It is the duty of the governments, supported by relevant bodies, to ensure that citizens have confidence in the immunisation programme by providing relevant and timely information.

Largely because of polarisation, the vaccination programme in Zimbabwe, has been polluted by toxic politics.

Some government mandarins, who see shadows everywhere, have not been helpful in this regard as they treat citizens that question the unclear vaccination strategy as political opponents.

They have been out on social media to label and bully those that have different views.

That is certainly not the way to build trust and encourage uptake of the vaccines.

Government officials tasked with communicating the roll-out programme have to understand that their roles go beyond politics. It is not the time to score cheap points against perceived opponents.

Non-acceptance of vaccines could be influenced by religious, ethical and medical considerations, which have nothing to do with politics.

This calls for appropriate communication strategies to persuade populations to take the Covid-19 vaccines regardless of the source or manufacturer.

It goes without saying that vaccination messages have to be designed and deployed by people with the requisite knowledge and Zimbabwe is not short of those skills.

The messaging also has to be consistent to avoid confusion. If the jabs are voluntary, the messages have to be clear about that.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s threats last week that those electing not to take a Covid-19 vaccine will be denied essential services and access to jobs was a perfect example of how not to communicate.

It is, however, not too late to adopt a coherent and consistent vaccination message since the programme is in its infancy.

Zimbabwe desperately needs a successful Covid-19 immunisation programme to come out of successive lockdowns and allow long-suffering citizens to rebuild their lives.

It will not be in anyone’s interest for the immunisation programme to fail.