Social Listening Report Number 63: 19 August 2022
- Title
- Social Listening Report Number 63: 19 August 2022
- Type of Report
- Social Listening Report
- Date
- August 19, 2022
- Key Trends In the Report
- The national state of disaster was still lifted. The announcement of South Africa’s first confirmed death linked to a Covid-19 vaccine stirred public anxiety. Vaccination rates among young people were notably low. Only 38% of those aged 18–34 and 2.6 million teens aged 12–17 had received the vaccine. In contrast, older age groups showed higher coverage, with 71% of those over 60 vaccinated. Online platforms saw a spike in searches and shared content related to vaccine safety and misinformation. Many South Africans were unsure where to find updated Covid-19 data, as reporting had shifted from daily to weekly. The UK’s approval of a vaccine targeting both the original and Omicron strains received mixed responses in South Africa. A deadly measles outbreak in Zimbabwe underscored the decline in routine childhood vaccinations during the pandemic. South Africa also saw reduced immunisation rates, with four measles cases confirmed in Gauteng.
- Misinformation by Period
- The announcement of a vaccine-related death was misused by anti-vaccine groups to spread fear. They exaggerated the risks and falsely claimed that vaccines were unsafe, despite the incident being extremely rare. Social media platforms circulated misinformation suggesting that Covid-19 vaccines caused miscarriages or infertility. The emergence of Monkeypox cases in South Africa led to misleading narratives. Some people dismissed the disease as fake, while others falsely linked it to Covid-19 vaccines or claimed it was a government plot. Reports about Denmark stopping vaccinations for children were misinterpreted and shared out of context.
- Suggested Recommendations
- Authorities were advised to clearly explain the rarity of vaccine-related adverse events and provide context to avoid panic. Transparent messaging was seen as key to maintaining public trust. It was recommended that communication strategies be adapted to better engage young people, using platforms and language that resonated with them.The report suggested enhancing efforts to track and respond to misinformation, especially on social media.
- Lockdown Level
- The National State of Disaster lifted
- Cumulative Cases
- 4 008 988
- Cumulative Deaths
- 104 240
- Cumulative Hospitalisations
- 541 724
- Cumulative Recoveries
- 3 904 748
- Total number of vaccines administered to date
- 37 418 000
- Geographical Region
- Globally
- Curators of the report
- s Lizzie Harrison
- Herkulaas Combrink
- Charity Bhengu
- William Bird 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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