Cutting through the COVID-19 messaging clutter

At the advent of COVID-19 vaccinations, one of the challenges that health workers faced was vaccine uptake as a result of misinformation propagated by myths and rumours.

At Nayuchi in the district of Mangochi, Celina Divason said she dithered when the local clinic stared administering the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Khokhwa Village resident says the rumours that were being spread regarding COVID-19 vaccination scared her off.

“There were so many rumours but the scariest one was that the vaccine was meant to kill people,” she says. “So, I got scared, that if I got vaccinated, I would die. They also said that you get physically weak and cannot do any house chores. So, we were afraid.”

Patuma Steven says she was reluctant to receive that vaccine because of a range of rumours that she heard.

“I heard that when a person has been vaccinated, their body swells up and they fall sick and the injected part glows in the dark.  And that when you put a coin on the vaccinated part, it sticks like a magnet,” she says.

Patuma and Celina’s stories reflect the general perception that many Malawians had of vaccination from the onset.

Faced with low uptake numbers because of these rumours and misinformation, the Breakthrough Action defined its approach on clearing misconceptions and cutting through the messaging clutter.

Margaret Matewere, a health surveillance assistant said work was tough when the COVID-19 vaccination rolled out March 2021.

“When we had just started, the work was very difficult. The campaign started by vaccinating us staff members. That is when we went ahead into the villages. At first, we had requested that the people come here at the hospital, but not even one came to get vaccinated. Then we decided to go to the villages. We would still spend the whole day without even one person coming. We would go to the Chiefs and churches to help with mobilizing uptake, but it was still hard,” she said.

She said during a 14-month period, they only vaccinated 521 people.

However, things changed when the Breakthrough Action project was launched in May 2022.

“We were trained on how to convince people, how we can reach people using field guides tools. That we should be able to discuss with the people, and let them ask questions so that we can clarify issues. We went ahead and did this, and noticed a change; the people were asking questions and were eager to learn. When we went into villages again in June 2022, we noticed that people were more willing than before to get vaccinated. In the month of September, we were able to train volunteers for this campaign which has helped to push the numbers up. Now, communities even invite us to go to the villages to administer vaccines,” she said.

According to Matewere, the Project has improved the vaccine culture here in Nayuchi.

“Previously it was really hard to convince someone on get the COVID-19 vaccine. Before the project, we vaccinated only 521 people. But after the training, we saw a change. In the month of June alone, we vaccinated 672 people. Now we reach up to 800 people monthly, showing that there is quite a change. The numbers are still increasing every month. This training has helped us tremendously in change mindsets,” she said. 

Machinga District Health Education Officer Wongani Nyirenda says when the COVID-19 vaccination rolled out; the district was one of the least performing in the country due to the rumours.

“There were a lot of misconceptions in the communities,” he says.

He says the results have been remarkable, as the intervention has had a great impact that has seen Machinga moving us the lowest to the highest in terms of COVID-19 vaccine uptake.

“And we believe that those who have not been able to get the jab are also going to be helped through this project,” he says.

Both Patuma and Celina have now been vaccinated, thanks to the tremendous efforts of the health surveillance officers who worked with community leaders to clear misconceptions around COVID-19 vaccination.

“The reason I decided to listen to the volunteers is because they openly told us the truth, that if we do not get vaccinated we are at high risk of infection. The volunteers also told us that they have been vaccinated and nothing has happened to them. They have not fallen sick or been hospitalized, they are completely fine,” Patuma explained.

Joyce Wilson, who was also a sceptic before she was vaccinated, says what changed her mind was that the health workers who had been vaccinated did not die.

“I went to the hospital and found the doctors still alive. So, if the doctors were not dying, what should I be scared of. So, I thought that it better I should get vaccinated. When I got vaccinated I noticed that nothing had happened to me up to date,” she says.