BREAKING NEWS: Reports of a new virus - It’s called MISINFORMATION
An analysis of the World Federation of Public Health's “Building Confidence in COVID-19 Vaccination" webinar
"In the Pfizer contract, it's very clear: 'We're not responsible for any side effects.' If you turn into a crocodile, that's your problem.”
These words were spoken by Brazillian President, Jair Bolsonaro on Dec. 17, 2020, in response to the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. He goes on to claim that Pfizer does not care if the vaccines cause someone to become “superhuman” or if “a woman starts to grow a beard.”
Although these claims seem ludicrous, the effects of this skepticism from Brazil’s central power is far-reaching and fueling the spread of misinformation.
On Feb. 17, 2021, the World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA) hosted a free, public webinar entitled, “Building Confidence in COVID-19 Vaccination,” over Zoom. The pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, and the University of Geneva supported the event. This webinar, co-chaired by Dr. Michael Moore (CEO of the Public Health Association of Australia) and Dr. Marta Lomazz (Executive Director of the WFPHA), discussed “...facts versus misconceptions and disinformation,” and provided “health professionals with the skills and tools” to respond.
Three guest speakers, Dr. Julie Leask (University of Sydney, Australia), Dr. Ethel Maciel (Federal University of Espírito Santo), and Dr. Anna Odone (University of Pavia, Italy), outlined the spread of misinformation and provided tips to increase confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines. Respectively, they spoke on the presence of vaccine hesitancy and tips on responding to misinformation; Brazil’s response to COVID-19; and the attitudes of healthcare workers towards the COVID-19 vaccines.
Dr. Julie Leask’s presentation, “Addressing COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy,” outlined the different factors that drive vaccine uptake; for example, social processes and the ways in which people think and feel influence the motivation to be vaccinated. This motivation, as well as practical issues, drives an individual’s decision to be vaccinated or not. She suggested that healthcare workers and professionals such as scientists, researchers, and people of authority, are to help people by providing lines of communication, identifying threats to confidence, accurately communicating science, and most importantly, by listening. These tips for healthcare outreach strengthen vaccine confidence and ultimately increase vaccine uptake.
Dr. Ethel Maciel addressed the current hostile public stigma surrounding the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in Brazil. Her presentation, “Political and Religious Determinants of Health: The Brazilian Case,” illustrates how misinformation in a country’s central power and religious organizations influence motivation to be vaccinated. Dr. Maciel reflected, “This is very, very difficult for us to fight against.” She outlined how she and her colleagues are fighting misinformation through their website, Todos pelas Vacinas, which provides accurate information on the vaccines.
Dr. Anna Odone’s presentation, “Attitudes of healthcare workers towards COVID-19 vaccination,” brought the previous presentations into context. Within healthcare itself, preliminary research has indicated that the majority of healthcare workers are confident in the COVID-19 vaccines. However, according to Dr. Odone, a study in France indicated that 40.9% of survey respondents were hesitant towards COVID-19 vaccination, mainly due to safety concerns. Since healthcare workers are seen as role models, their attitude towards COVID-19 vaccination affects the confidence of the general public.
The digital age allows for the instantaneous access and sharing of information. Although useful, this creates the perfect environment for the rapid spread of misinformation. In order to combat this, healthcare professionals need to understand the public’s concerns, and design a plan-of-action before misinformation gets out of hand. Dr. Odone did not suggest any mitigation strategies; maybe this indicates that the first step should be to address the skepticism inside healthcare itself.