Social Listening Report Number 49: 16 May 2022
- Title
- Social Listening Report Number 49: 16 May 2022
- Type of Report
- Social Listening Report
- Date
- May 16, 2022
- Key Trends In the Report
- The national state of disaster was still lifted. The social listening report reported 5th wave related concerns,Covid-19 cases are rising, nearing 10,000 daily. The fifth wave wasn't yet officially declared, but risks were high, especially with winter approaching at the time. COVID-19 vaccine certificate and support centre concerns. Communication related to the safety of COVID-19 vaccines for children and pregnant women.
- Misinformation by Period
- Vaccine Injury misinformation on social media posts falsely linking vaccines to chronic illnesses, long-term side effects, and even death. Persistent myths claim vaccines cause infertility or harm unborn babies, despite scientific evidence proving safety in pregnancy. Some believe vaccines are tools for surveillance or population control, often tied to broader anti-government sentiment.
- Suggested Recommendations
- Make mask mandates and booster shot guidelines easier to understand to reduce confusion and resistance. Use expert-led content and accessible formats to counter false claims and conspiracy theories.
- Lockdown Level
- The National State of Disaster lifted
- Cumulative Cases
- 3 894 746
- Cumulative Deaths
- 100 771
- Cumulative Hospitalisations
- 526 378
- Cumulative Recoveries
- 3 713 797
- Total number of vaccines administered to date
- 35 602 780
- Geographical Region
- Africa (South Africa)
- Curators of the report
- Brenda Goldblatt
- Herkulaas Combrink
- William Bird
- Charity Bhengu and Peter Benjamin
- Stakeholders
- National Health Hotline: Reports from the national call centre
- Org: NDOH Covid-19 WhatsApp system
- WHO Africa Infodemic Response Alliance (AIRA)
- UNICEF: digital analysis of content on Google, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, and digital news
- SA Red Cross: Network of over 2,000 community volunteers reporting misinformation and concerns.
- Real 411 Media Monitoring Africa: a mis- and disinformation reporting and debunking initiative
- COVID Comms: a network of communications specialists that produces information on the pandemic.
- DOH Free State & KZN: Provincial Departments of Health
- Health Systems Trust, Community Constituency Front (CCF),
- Health Enabled
- Centre for Communication Impact, Centre for Analytics & Behavioural Change
- Medical Research Council, National Institute for Communicable Diseases,
- SA Vaccination and Immunisation Centre, HSRC, DG Murray Trust, Right to Care
- Universities of Johannesburg, Cape Town, Free State, Wits, Stellenbosch, Sefako Makgatho
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