COVID-19 Vaccine Roll-Out in South Africa and Zimbabwe: Urgent Need to Address Community Preparedness, Fears and Hesitancy

Vaccines

Brian Nachipo¹  Tafadzwa Dzinamarira²  Godfrey Musuka³  Bright Phiri⁴ 

[1] AIDS and TB Unit, Ministry of Health and Child Care, Harare, Zimbabwe;Department of Public Health Medicine, University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban 4001, South Africa;ICAP @ Columbia University, Harare, Zimbabwe;ICAP @ Columbia University, Pretoria 0157, South Africa;

关键词: COVID-19;    vaccine;    hesitancy;    Africa;   

DOI  :  10.3390/vaccines9030250

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

South Africa became one of the first African countries to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. As the rest of Africa prepares to receive COVID-19 vaccines, most countries in Africa have set up national-level coordination committees for developing national vaccination deployment plans. While the main focus of these committees has been on setting up strategies that facilitate the swift distribution of COVID-19 vaccines once they are available, the role of effective public health awareness should not be ignored. Countries must devise strategies on how best to enhance public understanding and curb misinformation about the vaccines. With this viewpoint, we unpack the threat of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and offer recommendations for COVID-19 vaccine communication strategies in the South African and Zimbabwean contexts.

【 授权许可】

Unknown