COVID-19 Vaccination Communication Toolkit

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This informational guide presents six strategies for immunization coordinators to build vaccine confidence within their health system or clinic.

It includes tangible actions to promote confidence, communication, and uptake of COVID-19 vaccine, which can help support confidence among providers and patients.

Demand Creation and Advocacy for COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance and Uptake

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This quick start guide was developed to support FHI 360 programs and their partners to design and implement demand creation and advocacy activities as part of national COVID-19 vaccine introduction efforts. This guide draws primarily on FHI 360’s experience designing and implementing SBC programs to promote uptake of health products and services, including vaccination services, but also borrows from other global tools, including those developed by the WHO and UNICEF.

The COVID-19 Vaccine Communication Handbook

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This handbook is for journalists, doctors, nurses, policy makers, researchers, teachers, students, parents, and others. It contains information about: COVID-19 vaccines, how to talk to others about them and how to challenge misinformation about the vaccines.

5 Ways to Use Sensitivity When Writing About Vaccines

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This blog explains that health professionals need to approach their patients who are opposed to vaccination with understanding and patience.

They should anticipate vaccine-related questions and suggest several ways to deal with the patients, such as containing vaccine misinformation and using your platform to educate about the benefit of vaccines.

COVID-19 Vaccine Communication Strategy, India

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This communication strategy supports the COVID-19 vaccines rollout in India and seeks to disseminate timely, accurate and transparent information about the vaccine(s) to alleviate apprehensions about the vaccine, ensure its acceptance and encourage uptake.

COVID-19 Vaccination Communication

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This report, which was developed in consultation with leading experts in social and behavioral sciences and public health, outlines evidence-informed communication strategies in support of national COVID-19 vaccine distribution efforts across federal agencies and their state and local partners.

Key Guidelines in Developing a Pre-Emptive COVID-19 Vaccination Uptake Promotion Strategy

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This paper makes the case for immediate planning for a COVID-19 vaccination uptake strategy in advance of vaccine availability for two reasons: first, the need to build a consensus about the order in which groups of the population will get access to the vaccine; second, to reduce any fear and concerns that exist in relation to vaccination and to create demand for vaccines. A key part of this strategy is to counter the anti-vaccination movement that is already promoting hesitancy and resistance.

Checklist: How to Create Content About the COVID-19 Vaccine

Digital ToolTools

Creating content about the COVID-19 vaccines requires a deliberate, well-executed plan. As you begin developing vaccine content at your institution, use our step-by-step checklist to ensure a smooth rollout. Anyone can download this free checklist.

Long-Term Care Facility Toolkit: Preparing for COVID-19 Vaccination at Your Facility

Digital ToolTools

This toolkit provides long-term care facility (LTCF) administrators and clinical leadership with information and resources to help build vaccine confidence among healthcare personnel (HCP) and residents.

The toolkit emphasizes the critical role played by health professionals in providing trusted information and ensuring high COVID-19 vaccination coverage in their facility.

The Best Evidence for How to Overcome COVID Vaccine Fears

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Now that the COVID-19 vaccine is becoming available, somewhere between 60 and 90 percent of adults and children must be vaccinated or have antibodies resulting from infection in order to […]

Inside the Mind of an Anti-vaxxer

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This article describes the attitude of the many individuals in the US who are against vaccination and details steps that can be taken to change their attitudes and behavior.

The various options of changing people’s attitudes toward vaccinations are discussed.

COVID-19: Can Behavior Insights Address Vaccine Hesitancy and Increase Take-up?

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The behavioral science literature suggests the importance of understanding the underlying drivers of vaccine decision-making. Countries should design their strategies for vaccine take-up to target these factors, including the perceived risk of disease and side effects, social norms, costs in terms of time and effort, and trust in the health system and government. Behavior science offers options that go beyond traditional behavior change campaigns.

Tips for Professional Reporting on COVID-19 Vaccines

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This article lays out tips for professional reporting on COVID-19 vaccines. Some general guidelines that should be followed include: state the source, use clear language, report the numbers, etc.

Vaccine Confidence Project

Resource CentersWeb Resource

This site serves as a collection of resources from around the world that can be used to gain further information about vaccines and their recommended usage.

Vaccination Communication Strategies: What Have We Learned, and Lost, in 200 Years?

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This study compares Australian government vaccination campaigns from two very different time periods, the early nineteenth century (1803–24) and the early twenty-first (2016).

COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor

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The Kaiser Family Foundation COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor is an ongoing research project tracking the American public’s attitudes and experiences with COVID-19 vaccinations. Using a combination of surveys and focus groups, this project will track the dynamic nature of public opinion as vaccine development unfolds, including vaccine confidence and hesitancy, trusted messengers and messages, as well as the public’s experiences with vaccination as distribution begins.

Framework for Decision-making: Implementation of Mass Vaccination Campaigns in the Context of COVID-19

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This document describes the principles to consider when deliberating the implementation of mass vaccination campaigns for prevention of vaccine-preventable diseases and high impact diseases (VPD/HID), and when assessing risks and benefits of conducting outbreak-response vaccination campaigns to respond to VPD/HID outbreaks.

Social Media and Vaccine Hesitancy

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The authors globally evaluate the effect of social media and online foreign disinformation campaigns on vaccination rates and attitudes towards vaccine safety.

The study found that the use of social media to organise offline action is highly predictive of the belief that vaccinations are unsafe, with such beliefs mounting as more organization occurs on social media. In addition, the prevalence of foreign disinformation is highly statistically and substantively significant in predicting a drop in mean vaccination coverage over time.

We Know How to Curb the Pandemic. How Do We Make People Listen?

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A recent report by researchers from Northeastern University and elsewhere found that the number of Americans heeding most recommendations has dropped steadily since April. (Mask-wearing, which has increased, was an exception)

This article relates several instances of intended audiences practicing appropriate behavior when they believe others are doing the same thing, i.e., adhering to social norms. What one believes others are doing influences our actions, but so does what we imagine they view as acceptable.

KAP COVID Dashboard: Trend Analysis for 23 Countries

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This dashboard is a visualization of a study of knowledge, attitudes and practices around COVID-19 and is a collaboration among Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, Facebook Data for Good, MIT, WHO and Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network.

Behavioural Considerations for Acceptance and Uptake of COVID-19 Vaccines: WHO Technical Advisory Group on Behavioural Insights and Sciences for Health

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This is a report from a meeting held in October 2020 to discuss behavioral considerations relating to vaccine acceptance and uptake.

The discussion focused on a series of key questions around achieving high and equitable uptake of vaccines through evidence-based and behaviourally informed strategies. This meeting report is the product of the discussion held by WHO TAG members during the meeting. It covers only the topics that were addressed at the meeting.