Oromia Regional Health Bureau

COVID-19 Vaccine Demand Promotion

Training for Social Mobilizers
June 3,2022
Bishoftu
 Presentation outline

1 2 3 4
Demand
COVID-19 Goal of Covid-19 generation and The way for ward
Vaccine vaccine vaccine
communication acceptance
overview strategies and
approaches

MRB
 COVID-19 Vaccine overview

• Vaccines are a cornerstone of public health and their use has significantly
contributed to the prevention and control of infectious diseases like smallpox

• Vaccinating eligible individuals will help to reduce incidence of infectious

diseases in the community.

• COVID-19 vaccines are very effective at preventing serious outcomes, such as

severe illness, hospitalizations and death due to COVID-19, as well as reducing
the risk of infection
 Objective 3rd Round Covid 19 campaign
• To build population immunity against Covid 19 disease and protect people
from possible outbreaks
• Increase vaccination coverage
• To reduce negative impact that will come from low vaccination coverage as
country
• To open the economy (Trade, tourism, sport, workshop, event and others)
• To reduce multidimensional negative impact
COVID-19 Vaccine Demand
Promotion
Goal of COVID-19 vaccine communication

Empower people to make evidence based informed

decisions on COVID-19 vaccination
Encourage communities trust in health authorities and
those delivering the vaccine

Facilitate access to timely, accurate and credible

information about COVID-19 vaccine via trusted
channels
Provide people with a means of asking questions and
having their concerns addressed
MRB
Rationale of Communication for COVID-19 vaccination

To establish public trust, confidence,

acceptance and demand on COVID-19
vaccine and encourage uptake of vaccines
by eligible populations
Objectives of communication in COVID-19 vaccine roll out

• Ensure that all eligible groups receive the vaccine with confidence

• All people get correct information and are not influenced by mis/disinformation,
myths or misconceptions

• Hesitancy of public is addressed on the COVID-19 vaccination process

• Provide correct, consistent and timely information on the COVID-19 vaccine

• Generate awareness and understanding of the phased approach of prioritizing

target groups

• Address low-risk perception of the infection amongst people

Demand Generation Strategies and approaches
 Advocacy Strategy
Advocacy can be done through:
• High-level advocacy meetings at different levels
(ministers, parliamentarian, etc.)
• Engaging influencers and role models (religious and
community leaders, local celebrity or influencers, Idir,
Equb, Mahber community groups).
• Organize and conduct launching ceremonies at diff. levels.
• Woreda, zonal or facility and community level advocacy
meetings
 Social & Community Mobilization
Conduct mobilization activities by engaging different
stakeholders including:
• Government ministries/organizations
• National and regional media agencies
• International and local NGOs
• Faith-based organizations
• Civil society organizations
• Public & private sectors
• Community-based organizations
• Professional associations, and
• Communities and families
Communication Materials
 Capacity Building
This will be done as part of integrated training for:
• The frontline health workers
• Health extension workers (HEWs)
• Hotline/call center Councilor
• Media/journalist/reporters
• Designated spokesperson (media forum personnel)
• and social mobilizers
The capacity building focuses on:
• Demand generation plan
• Risk communication plan
 Social Media

• 6.1 million social media users in Ethiopia.

• Offers significant potential for communicating about COVID-19 vaccine

safety directly to the public

• Convenient way to communicate regularly and give real-time updates

• Build social media presence and communication is critical to:

Raise the public awareness
Monitor public concerns and gather information to address communities’
questions, concerns and feedback on COVID-19 related issues
SOURCE: ETHIOPIA NATIONAL DEPLOYMENT AND VACCINATION
PLAN FOR COVID-19 VACCINES, MOH ETHIOPIA. JANUARY 2020.
National and Regional Toll-free Hotline Phone
Numbers
Addis Ababa 8335 or 952
Tigray 6244
Oromia 6955
Amhara 6981
SNNPR 6929
Dire Dawa 6407
Somali 6599
Sidama 7794
Afar 6220
B/Gumuz 6016
Harari 6864
Gambella 6184
 Media Engagement
• Conduct a one/two-day training on COVID-19 vaccine for the journalists and
reporters who will become the key advocates for the vaccine and in responding to
rumors, misinformation and fake news
• Prepare talking points on COVID-19 vaccine updates & conducting regular press
briefing
• Prepare a press release

• Share the contact information of the designated spokespersons at national and

regional level with the media agencies for timely and accurate information
 Capacity Building
This will be done as part of integrated The capacity building focuses on:
training for: • Demand generation/promotion
• The frontline health workers, plan
• Health extension workers (HEWs), • Risk communication plan
• Family health team (PHCU) • Techniques of community dialog
• Health education and information
dissemination officers
• Hotline/call center Counselor
• Media/journalist/reporters, SC/zonal
public relations
• Designated spokesperson (media forum
personnel)
• And social mobilizers
 Community engagement

Brainstorming
Consideration in community engagement?
 Con
Understand The trigger for action .
Community engagements Considerations community engagement

Community dynamics and dimension- “one size may not fit all
Understand “.

Understand How to support .

Build Evidence based to shape contextually relevant and appropriate interventions .

Participatory & inclusive of people with disabilities and
special need population , IDP/ Refugees, segment
population (women/youth) …
Empowerment- Local mobilizers/influencer .

Dialogue always to be real two way.

Adaptable and localization in away building local

capacity for future use of EPI related demand generation
Community
and COVID_19 vaccine .
engagement to
consider…
Diseases had already begun to disappear
Majority of people who get vaccinated has got the
disease .
Understand common
vaccine
“Hot lots” of vaccine have been associated with
misconceptions /at
more adverse events .
least the 10 top
question/
Vaccines causelike reason
harmful side effects, illnesses, and
for refusal
even death . .

Multiple vaccinations at same time increase risk of

harmful side effects .
This (5C) helps in response to the
questions from community and
the way it handled the question.
Apply concept of
“Five Cto“tobe
Need tackle
multi-faceted
the hesitancy
approach &
that address the key
refusal factors .
behavioral
Recommendations from trusted health care
workers professionals and public health figures to
allay fears

1-Confidence and
Facilitate community dialogs to understand the
cause of mistrust in vaccine .
trust :
safety and
Transparent efficacy
dialog that respect community concern
of vaccine
about vaccine safety and efficacy

Communication of uncertainty with clarity around

the vaccine benefit
Empathetic risk communications through
trusted source of information’s – such as
HCW, public figures in the community .

Avoid polarizing labels –focus on greater

societal benefit of vaccine .

2. Complacency :
Support individual
perception to understand
of low risk the risk
and benefit through
and disease their own engagement
severity
with credible source of information’s
comfort, convenience, time, place,
and quality of a vaccine affects uptake
of the vaccine.

This continuum ranges from total

acceptance to complete refusal.

3. Convenience
The concern is that hesitancy can lead
to refusal, and unvaccinated clusters
may emerge as disease outbreaks
Social media platform - exercise in
more accountable.

Avoid narrow focuses

4: Communications_ on
misinformation and acknowledge
public
sourceconcern about vaccine safety
of information’s

Engage in dialogue and highlighted

the benefit of vaccine to the
country/community …
Targeted community engagement ( segregate-
youth, women , religious , mothers etc ).

Use community champion- faith leaders ,

respected figures about safety and efficacy of
the
5:vaccine
Context :
social -demographic
Culturally competent , multilingual , visual
characteristics
appealing message in the community /in the
hesitant community .
Keys to effective communication
• Credibility
• Trust / Honesty
• Mutual respect
• Commitment
• Expertise (including good quality
information)
• Empathy
• Recognition that individual
decisions may be based more on
values than on evidence .
How to talk about COVID-19 vaccine- IPC

Source and additional information: https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/how-to-talk-about-vaccines

How to talk about COVID-19 vaccine - IPC– cont.

Source and additional information: https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/how-to-talk-about-vaccines

How to talk about COVID-19 vaccine- IPC – cont.

Source and additional information: https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/how-to-talk-about-vaccines

How to talk about COVID-19 vaccine –IPC – cont.

Explore reasons for not wanting to

get vaccinated in order to provide
further discussion and support

Source and additional information: https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/how-to-talk-about-vaccines

 How to talk about COVID-19 vaccine- IPC – cont.

Vaccine
Side Effects

Source and additional information: https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/how-to-talk-about-vaccines

How to talk about COVID-19 vaccine- IPC – cont.

Source and additional information: https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/how-to-talk-about-vaccines

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
• Why should I be vaccinated?
• What would be the benefits of getting a
COVID-19 vaccine?
• Are COVID-19 vaccines safe?
• The COVID-19 vaccines were developed so
fast. How can you be sure it will be safe
long term?
• What possible side effects are there to the
COVID-19 vaccines?
• What if I have a serious allergic reaction to
the COVID-19 vaccine?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)..
• Do COVID-19 vaccines cause severe blood
clots?
• Why am I being offered a different vaccine
from the one my friends/family/colleagues
were offered?
• Can I have a different vaccine from the one I
am being offered?
• Does being vaccinated mean I am completely
safe from COVID-19?
• If I get a COVID-19 vaccine, will I still need to
take other precautions such as wearing mask,
handwashing and physical distancing?
 FAQ
• Can I catch COVID-19 from the vaccine?
• There is no COVID-19 right now in my
community/country. Do I still need to be
vaccinated?
• After I have been vaccinated, is there still
any risk of me getting sick from COVID-19?
• I’ve already had my first dose of COVID-19
vaccine and know that offers a lot of
protection. Why should I bother getting the
second?
• I have a healthy immune system; do I still
need to get vaccinated against COVID-19?
 FAQ
• I’ve already had COVID-19 so I have
antibodies. Why do I need to get
vaccinated?
• Could being vaccinated affect my fertility?
• I’m pregnant/planning to be pregnant. Can
I be vaccinated?
• I’m breastfeeding. Can I be vaccinated?
• Can women get the vaccine even if they
are menstruating?
• Will COVID-19 vaccines provide long-term
protection?
FAQ

LINK to Answers
Training materials for COVAX communicati
on\
Afan Oromo Version-FAQ & answers.docx
of Frequently Asked Questions
 What is the demand spectrum?
Not all caregivers and communities accept all vaccines all the time.

Vaccination hesitancy:
Accept some, delay some, refuse some Active
Demand

Refuse Passive
all vaccines Acceptance
 What is vaccine hesitancy and what should I do?

Refers to delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite availability of vaccine services.
Hesitancy

Accept all Accept, but Accept some, delay Refuse, but Refuse all
vaccines unsure and refuse some unsure vaccines

Offer positive Focus on their concerns:

encouragement: "That is Discuss to better understand questions Show respect and do not
wonderful!" and concerns: "Tell me more about that." argue. Point to trusted community
Respond with empathy. members and sources.

For additional information : https://ipc.unicef.org/

Examples of “how to respond” to hesitancy with empathy:

"I know vaccinating will help Health worker: “I understand that you want to make
me, but I am afraid of side- the best choice for yourself. What side-effects are
effects." you concerned about?”

"I am not sure what to do. Health worker: "I can see you are questioning
My community leader vaccines. How do others you know deal with
objects to vaccines." vaccination? What are your concerns?"

"I read rumours about Health worker: “Social media and websites can spread
COVID-19 vaccine online. I false information. You can get the latest on COVID-19
do not know what to believe.” vaccine from the source I trust at xxx@xxx.com. I am
also here to answer your questions.”

For additional information : https://ipc.unicef.org/

 Vaccinated vs Unvaccinated

• Unvaccinated people have 5 times chance getting

COVID 19 than vaccinated

• Unvaccinated people have 10 times chance to be

hospitalized than vaccinated

• Unvaccinated people have 11 times chance to die than

vaccinated
 Risk of Blood Clotting in Vaccinated or Unvaccinated??

• Risk of developing blood

clotting in unvaccinated people
is higher than those who
vaccinated.
 Global vaccination status
• 65.7% of the world population has received at least one dose of a
COVID-19 vaccine.

• 11.77 billion doses have been administered globally, and 5.85 million
are now administered each day.

• Only 15.9% of people in low-income countries have received at least

one dose.
The percentage of people vaccinated by country
 Way for ward For the campaign
• Advocacy workshop with regional/Zonal/Town sector office heads, media
agencies, PRs, Religious Leaders
• Train/Orient social mobilizer and Town criers
• Launching the vaccination by engaging higher officials, religious leaders and
other influential community
• High media engagement (press release, expert interview, news coverage, talk
show…)
Community radios, educational medias, FMs, OBN radios /TV
• Strengthen community engagement through community sensitization
meeting at all kebeles (budget will be sent for this activity)
 Way forward For the campaign--------
• Mobilizing and effectively using van car

• Social media campaign (Face book, telegram…)

• Use gov’t communication affair sector effectively

• Encourage engagement of private sectors

• Write timely advocacy letters to all relevant bodies

• Report demand generation activities based on the template

• Demand generation Report template_COVAX.xlsx

 Vaccines are the best
weapon we have at
hand.
 They may be less effective
in preventing infection

…but highly effective in preventing

hospitalization and death
Video
THANK You!