Chief of the Matsila Tribe in Limpopo, Livuwani Matsila has urged rural communities to get vaccinated to protect themselves against COVID-19.
Matsila addressed a webinar debate ahead of the Vooma Vaccination weekend, in a bid to mitigate vaccine hesitancy and encourage the uptake of the vaccine.
People aged 60 and older, who get vaccinated in November, will receive a R100 grocery voucher.
Over 13 million people have been fully vaccinated and four million others have received one dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
Matsila says there’s no need for people to be hesitant.
“So, this is really a continuation. This is just a vaccination against all sorts of fevers. Because if you go overseas, it is also mandatory. Those are the issues that we need to be talking about, assuring people that there’s nothing to be worried about with this vaccination program. It’s one of the many programs that are there to protect human lives? And the issue is that of ‘compulsory’, whether it will be introduced or/and what will be our views around it,” Chief Matsila explains.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) in South Africa says it is possible to overcome vaccine hesitancy, particularly among young people.
The ONE Campaign, Unicef and the African Union last month launched a new TikTok campaign, to counter misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines on social media.
The initiative – under the hashtag #MythOrVax – aims to dispel myths and correct inaccurate information about COVID-19.
It also seeks to address ongoing fears and concerns and raising awareness about the importance of vaccinations.
Currently, government is vaccinating people aged 18 years and older.
According to a report by Unicef, 55% of young people say they will get the COVID-19 vaccine. The report also found that 37% of young people believe TV and radio are the most trusted sources for accurate information about COVID-19 vaccines, followed by health workers and social media.
Unicef’s Christine Muhigana unpacks the report:
Unicef representative in South Africa, Christine Muhigana says social media is important for communicating the importance of getting the vaccine to young people.
“We need to do more campaigns with the right people, with media, with health workers, with the AU, TikTok and One Campaign. We launched Myth or Facts which includes using quizzes and we engage in live sessions with people so they can interact with celebrities and health experts through media to make sure that the dialogue around the safety and efficacy and how to deal with side effects is discussed in a good manner,” says Muhigana.
Lack of information
Psychologists say vaccine hesitancy stems from several factors including a lack of information.
Psychologist Lerato Motsalane-Wana says more needs to be done to address vaccine hesitancy in the country.
COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy remains a headache in Gauteng:
