COVID-19 vaccine demand in the Philippines: Using Social Media to Reach the Elderly

PRESENTATION Using Social Media to Reach the Elderly in the Philippines PRESENTER Professor Emeritus Lulu C. Bravo, M.D.Member of the Movement for Immunization Agenda 2030 (Philippines) Members of the Movement for Immunization Agenda 2030 joined the UNICEF-led COVID-19 Vaccine Demand Global Event on 22-23 June 2022. The focus was on enhancing vaccine confidence and uptake through risk communication and community engagement among high-risk and vulnerable groups. Partners: U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Collective Service for Risk Communication and Community Engagement, Gavi, the Geneva Learning Foundation, USAID, IFRC, and WHO Learn more about the Movement for Immunization Agenda 2030 https://www.learning.foundation/immunization-agenda-2030 Two Members of the Movement presented during the session on “Service quality interventions that meet people on their terms”. This session was facilitated by Sheetal Sharma, Senior Immunization Advisor, CORE Group. PROBLEM STATEMENT Elderly are vulnerable and at high risk for serious COVID Communication and support strategies require adaptation to specific needs of vulnerable groups SITUATION OVERVIEW Describe in a few points the context Our 85-year-old mother and grandmother was reluctant to have a COVID vaccine for fear of adverse events following immunization, insisted that she is not used to being vaccinated, and said that she would just stay home to avoid COVID Explain briefly how you diagnosed the reasons for low uptake She was scared because of reports from media and other friends saying that the vaccine can cause harm THE SOLUTION Describe briefly how you selected the interventions used Since her son is known to us we thought of an occasion, Mothers Day to show her that her son wanted her to be safe by being vaccinated and asked the expert panel to talk to her and convince her to get the COVID vaccine Explain briefly what you did We featured her in our podcast program for Facebook users to air her concerns and talk to several experts who are vaccinologists, some of which were known to her. Primary group engaged: specifically indicate if/how you engaged high-risk and vulnerable groups …Through Social media and Facebook contacts, we encouraged people to join us every Saturday night and let us know their problems and talk to real experts to give their advice. We also feature an intermission dance and some relaxation exercises at times to relieve the stresses they feel. Describe how you measured outcomes Not long after our podcast the son told us his mom was happy to be vaccinated and we had her again on the subsequent podcast to tell her story. Describe briefly the results of the interventions She got the vaccine and said she felt loved by our group Were you able to measure impact? How? Yes in many ways if we get a success story like this, meaning people say they are convinced that the vaccine will be safe and working effectively and willing to tell others about it, we are indeed happy and grateful. We believe that gradually, the numbers of those vaccine hesitants are decreasing in our country but we have to continue to get the right information to people and discriminate against fake news and disinformation. Provide tips and learnings on what worked with this approach The Mom felt that her son really wanted her to be safe and will get the experts to listen and talk to her What were the enabling factors to ensure success? Son was expressing his love and concern for his mom and made the special occasion of Mothers Day to express his feelings. Think about how this approach could be applied in other contexts – what should colleagues know to adapt it? Understanding the nature and feelings of family and loved ones would be beneficial to make those hesitant to feel better secure and perhaps choosing special occasions and demonstrations of love and affection would really help.