A group of moms on Facebook built an island of good-faith vaccine debate in a sea of misinformation

Gerrit De Vynck Will Oremus Elizabeth Dwoskin

August 24, 2021 |

The Washington Post |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Vaccine Talk is a Facebook group for evidence-based discussion to help both pro- and anti-vaccine people wade through all of the conflicting, and oftentimes wrong, information about the COVID-19 vaccine. The group has a tough reputation because of its strict moderation system and rules of discourse. Each of the group’s 70,000 members was approved by an administrator to join and committed to a code of conduct. Users must be ready to provide citations within 24 hours of posting and the moderators don’t hesitate to kick out members who lack civility, misrepresent themselves, or make unsubstantiated claims.

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Sacramento's Black Community Takes Charge Of Its Own Health, Vaccination

Genoa Barrow

August 23, 2021 |

The Observer |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Sacramento, California

Community groups and individual doctors ran pop-up vaccine clinics to combat the lack of access to care and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black and Brown communities. Umoja Health’s pop-up clinics vaccinated up to 80% of residents living in San Francisco’s most vulnerable areas. Del Paso Heights clinic had such a huge demand for vaccines that the waiting list swelled to 4,000 people at one point. The Greater Sacramento Urban League ran free pop-up vaccine clinics while also canvassing neighborhoods to talk with residents about getting vaccinated.

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How Wayanad became first district to vaccinate all adults: Collector Adeela intv

Cris

August 20, 2021 |

The News Minute |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: India, Wayanad, Kerala

Wayanad is the first district in Kerala to have vaccinated the entire adult population with at least one COVID-19 vaccine. Rather than waiting for people to make appointments, officials went door-to-door providing all adults with appointment times. The district’s efforts started early, setting up vaccine infrastructure and assigning people appointment dates by where they live. Rapid Response Teams conducted outreach and education efforts, particularly among tribal populations, and made sure people showed up at their appointment. Getting vaccinated with their neighbors also decreased vaccine hesitancy.

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COVID-19: Lessons from Polio Eradication

Charles Besidonne

August 19, 2021 |

The Republic |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Nigeria

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative coordinated a coalition of national governments and nonprofits to eradicate polio and may provide lessons for administering COVID-19 vaccines. GPEI helped with funding and the procurement and supply of vaccines. A network of local partners carried out vaccination initiatives and designed micro-planning strategies to reach high-risk relevant populations. Nigeria built cold chain storage, transport, and distribution systems to handle the polio vaccine, as well as a vaccine accountability management system that monitors and tracks vials throughout vaccine administration.

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Why U.S. cities are enlisting micro-influencers to fight vaccine disinformation and hesitancy

Erica Hellerstein

August 11, 2021 |

Coda Story |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Santa Clara County, California

Santa Clara County City officials, together with the digital marketing agency XOMAD, paid 49 mico-influencers to promote COVID-19 vaccines and dispel misinformation. The micro-influencers were paid between $200 and $2,500, depending on their number of followers, frequency of posts, and level of engagement. Over two months, the influencers published 339 posts across Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram, which received 2.5 million total views and impressions.

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Prisons try incentives, education to get staff vaxxed, with mixed results

Cid Standifer

August 09, 2021 |

FreshWater Cleveland |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New Mexico

While prisons generally have struggled to contain the spread of the coronavirus among staff and incarcerated people, New Mexico's program to vaccinate staff has succeeded where others have failed. New Mexico prison and health officials mounted an extensive education program. COVID "command centers" offer individual counseling to answer questions. Wardens get briefed regularly and then spread new information through the staff. Outreach to holdouts convinces some to get vaccinated. The staff vaccination rate is at least 85%, exceeding the rate for the adult population overall.

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An Innovative Tool to Increase Vaccine Access? The Block Party

Emma Specter

August 05, 2021 |

Vogue |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Lowell, Massachusetts

The Greater Lowell Health Alliance offered COVID-19 vaccines using a “block party” model where community members enjoy free food, music, activities, and even childcare, while also having access to information about vaccines in multiple languages as well as the ability to actually get vaccinated. This model reduced barriers for immigrants, refugees, and other people who don’t speak English fluently, as well as caregivers who can’t attend vaccine appointments due to their caregiving responsibilities. The relaxed environment, where loved ones can support each other, increased comfort with getting the vaccine.

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Inside North Carolina's 'little Dare County,' most vaccinated county in the rural South

Andrew Yawn

August 05, 2021 |

USA Today |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Dare County, North Carolina

Dare County, a relatively isolated and rural coastal county in North Carolina, has the highest vaccination rate in the southern U.S. The successful vaccination campaign is due in part to an existing communication infrastructure that local governments and healthcare systems use to coordinate during hurricane emergencies. Existing communication channels and relationships made it easier to publicize mass vaccination sites and get people to register online. Officials also went to great lengths to get more vaccines, petitioning the state for extra doses and even driving to other counties to pick up surpluses.

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At Soccer Games, Markets and Churches, Students Offer New Ways to Get Vaccinated

Grace Wesoly

August 05, 2021 |

Queens University News Service |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Charlotte, North Carolina

Faith in the Vaccine is an initiative to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates among low-income areas and within ethnic communities. The group, often using student ambassadors, leverages the credibility of community leaders and influencers and identifies opportunities to bring vaccine clinics to where people are already gathering. For example, vaccine tents were available at a recent soccer game attended by over 1,000 Spanish-speaking fans. Attendees could get the one-dose COVID-19 shot, a $25 VISA debit card, and be entered to win two season passes to the 2022 season of the new Charlotte FC soccer team.

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Faith-Based Vaccine Outreach Underway to Reach Northern Nevada Latinos

Natalie Van Hoozer

July 30, 2021 |

KUNR |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Reno, Nevada

To increase vaccination rates among Reno’s Latino/a population, organizers conducted outreach with congregants at a local church that offers Spanish-language masses. Confidence in clinic locations and feeling safe due to immigration status presented as the biggest obstacles keeping people from getting vaccinated, so organizers used the church to hold pop-up clinics. The initial outreach helped build trust and gave organizers a chance to provide information and answer questions. Hundreds turned out for each clinic and the vaccination rate among the surrounding Latino/a community increased from 22% to 41%.

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