Vaccinating against vaccine reluctance

WHO HAS seen that video of the lamb on the interwebs? So this lamb was firmly wedged head-first in a ditch. A young boy passing by grabs the animal by a leg and drags it out.

The rescued ruminant explodes into a sprint, runs a short distance, takes a graceful leap, and dives headfirst yet again into the same ditch. Hilarious! TT is that lamb, by the way.

One of the misconceptions about vaccine scepticism in TT assumes all those opposed to vaccination are uneducated country bukkies (bouquies?). Another is that anti-vaxxers are a homogeneous cohort cradling an aversion to inoculation for all the same reasons.

Not all non-believers are convinced the covid19 vaccine is a socouyant serum. Not every sceptic thinks the jab is phase one of the Illuminati's push for global domination.

A recent MFO survey revealed vaccine hesitancy in TT is running at 65 per cent. That's spine-chilling, considering the broadly advertised contagiousness and lethality of covid19. Such reticence, though, isn't unusual considering that these vaccines are new. Of that number, there are surely people of different backgrounds. As such, it's impossible to combat reluctance with a one-size-fits-all approach.

Many people, including those in leadership, seem to think the most effective way to counter vaccine hesitancy is through ridicule, puerile belittling, and hectoring. This is the best a blunt instrument can offer – even in a crisis.

Moreover, cajoling people with "just go and get vaccinated" or "take any vaccine" is useless. While TT society is accustomed to uselessness in our leadership and, by extension, state agencies, inutility cannot be tolerated in an age of a patently murderous contagion.

The Government, over the course of this pandemic, displayed a conspicuous incomprehension of effective communications. That alone is no damnable indictment as communications is governed by principles and tactics practised by trained or experienced professionals.

The State's costly failure, however, lies in its bullheaded reluctance to accept that fact and get advice from experts. As such, our leadership, powered by an infinite source of hubris, continues to lean on intellectual resources unequal to the task.

The Government's overarching commitment to exemplary incompetence is reinforced by the public. Through either continued defence of glaring errors, or silence in the face of them, self-castrated citizens are willing partners in this waltz with disaster.

Vaccine hesitancy isn't endemic to TT. Other countries have recognised the role of a multi-dimensional communications exercise to counter vaccine reluctance.

A primary goal of communications is to win over the audience with persuasion. In this instance, the audience is no monolith. It consists of different people with varying mindsets and beliefs. As such, no single message will cover them all. Certainly the slogan, "Have you gotten your doh-jacka-- de cine yet?" probably wouldn't resonate with everyone.

Communications as a tool against this pandemic is well understood by WHO. The organisation created a document titled “Behavioural considerations for uptake and acceptance of covid-19 vaccine.”

Several countries anticipated they would be grappling with vaccine hesitancy in their populations.

The WHO document notes that information alone won't move the needle much on vaccination uptake. Giving people details about the what, where, when, and why must be supplemented with other tactics such as reducing barriers, deploying reminders, training and building confidence in public health workers, etc.

The WHO document also touches on the multiple groups that influence the uptake of vaccines. These include politicians, immunisation programme managers, community and religious leaders, civil society organisations, media outlets, and digital platforms.

Our national vaccination programme should have been buttressed by a comprehensive communications juggernaut. As we dropped the ball with covid9 messaging, we've followed suit with vaccination outreach.

There really isn't any excuse for this. WHO, on its website, has a free vaccine communications template that can be adapted to most cultures. Our vaccine messaging should be ubiquitous – in your face and ears like a mosquito while you're sleeping (without the annoying part). That messaging should have been everywhere before the vaccines even arrived. Naturally, it wasn't and still isn't.

Now, frontliners of the government defence league love bleating that any mistakes or shortcomings (though not admitting to any) are in the past – products of a best-we-can-manage response to an unprecedented situation. We can only move forward, they say. Well, it's impossible to move forward without admitting to and learning from our mistakes.

Other countries have vigorously interrogated the actions and omissions of their leadership in this global crisis. Not us. Maybe that's why we're still headfirst and a-- up in a ditch.