Mark Zuckerberg announces Facebook's plans to help get people vaccinated against Covid-19

‘Today we're launching a global campaign to help bring 50 million people a step closer to getting Covid-19 vaccines. 

‘We've already connected over 2 billion people to authoritative Covid-19 information. Now that many countries are moving towards vaccinations for all adults, we're working on tools to make it easier for everyone to get vaccinated as well. 

‘First, we're launching a tool that shows you when and where you can get vaccinated and gives you a link to make an appointment. This will be in the Covid Information Center, which we'll show people right in their News Feed. We've already seen people use Facebook to find vaccination appointments, so this should enable millions more people to do the same.

‘Second, we're bringing the Covid Information Center to Instagram, and we'll show it to people prominently there too. 

‘Third, we're working with health authorities and governments to expand their WhatsApp chatbots to help people register for vaccines. More than 3 billion messages related to Covid have already been sent by governments, non-profits and international organizations to citizens through official WhatsApp chatbots, so this update will help with the vaccination effort as well.’

Read here (Facebook, Mar 15, 2020)

7 ways to reduce reluctance to take Covid vaccines

1. It's not necessary to change the minds of committed anti-vaxxers; they are just a tiny slice of the population, and we can reach herd immunity without them.
2. Facts alone will not persuade skeptics.
3. Some minority groups, such as Black and Native Americans, have strong historical reasons to view health authorities with suspicion. Experts favor working closely with civic and faith leaders, admired athletes and other trusted figures within those groups.
4. Low levels of vaccination, particularly among low-income communities, often reflect practical barriers.
5. Talk about how popular the vaccine is.
6. Overcome the human tendency to procrastinate.
7. For forgetful types, simple reminders—by text or voice message—can be powerful. 

Read here (Scientific American, March 2021)

The Covid-19 disinformation divide: Understanding vaccine attitudes

‘Scientists have developed COVID-19 vaccines so rapidly it has exacerbated existing mistrust proliferated by social media. New research by Edelman Data & Intelligence (DxI) aims to examine and understand the psychological motivations driving attitudes at both ends of the spectrum – from vaccine resistors to vaccine adopters. By understanding the concerns and sensitivities of each group, the scientific community can tailor messaging to improve vaccine uptake.’

Read here (World Economic Forum, Feb 4, 2021)

How influencers, celebrities, and FOMO [fear of missing out] can win over vaccine skeptics

‘Drawing from product innovation theory, Rohit Deshpandé and colleagues offer three recommendations to speed adoption of COVID-19 vaccines...

‘Governments are prioritizing certain groups to receive the vaccine, with medical professionals and certain government personnel at the top, followed by first responders and vulnerable populations, and then the general population. The diffusion of innovations model indicates that each of these groups will have five customer segments based on their willingness to get vaccinated earlier or later. For example, some medical professionals will be eager to get vaccinated early (the innovators, early adopters, and majority) while others will wait (the late majority and laggards).

‘So, how do we maximize the number of individuals in any prioritized group who are willing, if not eager, to get vaccinated as soon as possible?

‘The answer requires keen understanding of each segment, for example, of both the seniors in the early majority and the seniors that are laggards less keen on taking the vaccine. The diffusion of innovations research indicates that a combination of personal and societal factors influence the rate of adoption within and between segments factors, with the ultimate driver being word of mouth.

‘For the COVID-19 vaccine, the personal factors include people’s perceived efficacy and need for the vaccine, past immunization experiences, and opinions about vaccines more generally, along with those of their families.

‘Societal drivers include the advice of experts, media, and other influencers within their demographic, socioeconomic, and innovation adoption segment. Influencers will need to mitigate concerns about the “newness” of the vaccine, such as the probability of side effects and solutions when they occur. They will also need to reinforce the positive consequences of taking the vaccine, such as the ability to visit family, go to work, and have more entertainment options.’

Read here (Harvard Business School, Jan 29, 2021)

The vaccine news is great, but Big Pharma is still fooling us

‘Heroic work went into the development of the coronavirus vaccines. But that does not mean this industry deserves your affection...

‘I recall feeling, at the start of this pandemic, both horror at the unfolding calamity, and also a small sense of hope that as in other times of hardship, people would find ways to change the world for the better. There was talk of community support, mutual aid and the rediscovery of the positive powers of the state to protect its citizens. Much of that has dimmed now, and it often seems that we simply want relief - to go back to the way the world was before, and as soon as possible.

‘We have to get back to that place. Yet this may be the best chance in our lifetimes to break the hold of an industry that, until recently, was rightly vilified. The public is following these developments closely, and the state support that underwrites pharmaceutical profits couldn't be more obvious: Operation Warp Speed alone has dispensed over US$10 billion to the industry.

‘Pay it to make the vaccine, sure. That's a service. But we shouldn't be afraid to demand more: Public support should mean a public vaccine, one that reaches people as quickly as possible - profitable or not. The pharmaceutical industry wouldn't be able to rake in its profits and restore its reputation without funding that comes from our tax dollars. We shouldn't let Big Pharma forget it.’

Read here (Straits Times, Dec 22, 2020)

WHO against mandatory Covid-19 vaccines

‘The World Health Organization said on Monday (Dec 7) that persuading people on the merits of a COVID-19 vaccine would be far more effective than trying to make the jabs mandatory. The WHO said it would be down to individual countries as to how they want to conduct their vaccination campaigns against the coronavirus pandemic.

‘But the UN health agency insisted making it mandatory to get immunised against the disease would be the wrong road to take, adding there were examples in the past of mandating vaccines use only to see it backfire with greater opposition to them.’

Read here (Channel News Asia, Dec 8, 2020)

What message will persuade people to take a vaccine?

‘Scientists are charging ahead to make a COVID-19 vaccine available, working out the challenging logistics of wide-scale production and distribution. Milkman is hopeful that the work of the BCFG team will, in turn, help more people take the vaccine. “Even if we get the supply chain issues right, even if we get every corner drugstore to someday be supplying these, we have to get them into arms in order for them to change the course of the pandemic,” she said. “And the messaging is going to be key to that.”

Read here (Knowledge@Wharton, Nov 24, 2020)