Focus: Persuading “Vaccine Distrust”, Key Awareness Activities to Counter US Corona | Reuters

[Reuters]-The “National Black Church Initiative” hosted a regional campaign of 15 churches in Baltimore in November. The aim is to educate black residents to get the flu shot. However, the number of participants in the city, which has a population of 600,000, was only 11.

Pastor Anthony Evans, the head of the organizer, said, “I think it was a rehearsal similar to the actual rehearsal of the repellent feeling that we would receive when the vaccine (of the new coronavirus) was ready.”

Trucks are running all over the United States to begin the enormous work of distributing the new coronavirus vaccine, jointly developed by Pfizer and Biontech. The move should become even more active once the vaccines developed by Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca are approved.

To end the pandemic that has already killed more than 300,000 people in the United States, the challenge is to convince more vaccine skeptics to accept this life-threatening precaution against COVID-19.

Federal-level public health authorities, non-profit organizations (NPOs), and marketers are preparing public campaigns through television, websites, and social media to encourage all Americans to vaccinate. The focus is on dealing with the distrust of vaccination that has long been seen in racial minorities that have been hit hardest by the virus, and that is not unreasonable given historical background. Thing.

The NPO Advertising Council, known for its successful national-level efforts such as promoting polio vaccination in the 1950s, is preparing a new corona vaccination promotion campaign scheduled to start in January.

“The colored community has been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 from the beginning,” Lisa Sherman, CEO of the Advertising Council, said in an interview. “In public awareness campaigns, it is important to focus on these populations, and I want to convey the facts so that they can be vaccinated more positively than ever before.”

The council is aiming to raise $ 50 million (about 5,160 million yen) from the private sector. A spokeswoman for Facebook, Snap, and Reddit, which runs social media, said each company plans to offer advertising space.

Finding the right message originator is a top priority for groups that produce public service announcements (PSAs) for the minority community.

In August, the Advertising Council signed a contract with Academy, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning actor Viola Davis and the most-winning gymnast Simone Biles in the United States to encourage them to wear masks. It was appointed to the advertising campaign “You Will See Me”.

The council says it hasn’t yet elaborated on the details of the new vaccine awareness campaign, including the specifics of PSA and who to hire in areas such as sports, music and social media.

According to CEO Sherman, the Advertising Council is coordinating plans with President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team and will work with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The retiring President Donald Trump’s administration has also launched another $ 250 million public awareness campaign this month. HHS has canceled some of its plans to hire celebrities for a campaign called “Inspire Hope,” following a Democratic warning that federal budget diversion for Mr. Trump’s reelection strategy is not allowed.

According to HHS spokeswoman Mark Webber, the “building confidence in vaccines” campaign targets the “movable middle class” of Americans who hesitate to vaccinate.

Unlike those who stubbornly refuse vaccines in general, many Americans are concerned about their safety because the new coronavirus vaccine was developed at record speeds.

Awareness programs under the Trump administration are also aware of “vaccine skepticism in black, Hispanic, and indigenous communities,” Webber said. He also seeks guidance from multicultural marketing companies in this effort.

Mr. Biden’s transition team is looking for the best way to convey confidence in the vaccines needed to build herd immunity to stop the spread of the virus and the need for widespread acceptance.

Former and former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton have said they can take pictures of their vaccinations if they can persuade the public.

Vaccine distrust in the black community is persistent due to decades of disparity in access to health care and treatment, and poor participation in clinical trials. It also has a history of cruel medical incidents, such as the infamous “Tuskegee experiment,” in which an African-American man was left unaware of the infection to observe the course of syphilis.

According to a recent survey by a research group “COVID-19 Collaborative” affiliated with the Advertising Council, 14% of Americans say they “trust the safety of vaccines” and Hispanics. In the system, it is only 34%.

According to a Reuters poll released last week, 49% of blacks said they were interested in getting the COVID-19 vaccine, compared to 63% of whites. According to public health experts, the vaccination rate required to achieve herd immunity is about 75%.

Kate Kronin, CEO of Ogilvy Health, an advertising agency that has long been a client of Pfizer under the umbrella of WIPP, says it is important to be aware of possible side effects and other potential situations.

As part of the program, HHS will create a focus group of people from different backgrounds, for example, to publish on media that certain groups love, such as Native American radio stations, according to Webber spokesman. We are trying to help in creating advertisements to reduce vaccine repellent.

Colored participants in vaccine trials will also appear in commercials to appeal to the same racial community about vaccine safety, according to Zoma Bazolo, who heads the healthcare industry at marketing communications firm FCB Health Network. It may be requested. FCB clients include Pfizer and AstraZeneca.

People like Raul Allegle, a former NFL New York Giants player and now ESPN Deportes commentator, may also play an important role. Allegle, 61, volunteers with his wife in Moderna’s ongoing vaccine trials.

He has appeared in a social media campaign in English and Spanish produced by the COVID-19 Prevention Network.

“It encourages people to participate in vaccination, because Hispanics and Africans are at high risk,” Allegle said. “The message is,’Now, let’s get rid of the pandemic.'”

(Translation: Acrelen)

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