Communication Strategies to Combat COVID-19 Vaccines Hesitancy

Abstract

COVID-19 infectious disease resulted in a pandemic that has threatened millions of people in the world. It is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), and it has created a global health crisis. Hence, the present study aimed at assessing communication strategies used by Ethiopian Public Health Institute and Ministry of Health to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, make analysis of vaccination messages, and hybrid media messages to label best practices of communication techniques to address vaccine hesitancy. To attain this objective, a qualitative research method was employed to analyze messages that were disseminated with the hybrid national and regional media and social media platforms. MOH and EPHI disseminated messages; ministers, prominent people, opinion leaders and activists’ speeches used as subjects of the study. COVID-19 vaccination messages were selected through purposive sampling method. The contents of messages regarding health communication were analyzed. The finding showed that building COVID-19 vaccine acceptance through effective communication is important to stop the spread of the virus. The participatory and presumptive style communications are the possible method to promote COVID-19 vaccination before it reaches on refusal stage. Moreover, the results revealed that communication strategies contributed to vaccine advocacy and vaccination campaign to improve vaccine acceptance. MOH and EPHI used the hybrid media to mold the unscientific information and the misinformation of the vaccine. In sum, using effective communication strategies is very important to create awareness about COVID-19 vaccines, and avoid vaccine hesitation to strength the public vaccines acceptability.