Social Listening Report Number 65: 05 September 2022

Title

Social Listening Report Number 65: 05 September 2022

Type of Report

Social Listening Report

Date

September 5, 2022

Key Trends In the Report

The state of disaster was lifted. Parents in South Africa were hesitant to vaccinate their children, mainly due to fears about long-term health effects. The announcement of 1,279 new Covid-19 cases by the National Department of Health sparked anxiety on social media, with fears of a sixth wave emerging. Due to low vaccine uptake, approximately 10 million Pfizer doses were set to expire and be destroyed in October. While some South Africans showed interest in traditional remedies like Umhlonyane (Artemisia Afra), most did not consider them effective for serious illnesses. The pandemic disrupted tuberculosis (TB) testing and treatment in South Africa, which remained one of the countries with the highest TB burden. The spread of drug-resistant TB strains continued, and the pandemic led to fewer diagnoses and treatment interruptions, contributing to higher mortality. A study revealed that misinformation had deadly consequences in both the HIV/AIDS and Covid-19 pandemics.

Misinformation by Period

Misinformation circulated widely about vaccines being unsafe, especially for children and pregnant women. Some individuals believed that Covid-19 was a hoax or part of a global control agenda. Covid-19 was frequently compared to the flu or other less severe illnesses, downplaying its seriousness. Traditional and alternative remedies, such as Umhlonyane (Artemisia Afra), were promoted as cures or preventatives for Covid-19 without scientific evidence. Scientific data and studies were often taken out of context or misinterpreted to support anti-vaccine arguments.

Suggested Recommendations

The report recommended that health authorities use clear, consistent, and culturally relevant messaging to address public concerns. Authorities were encouraged to monitor social media closely to identify and respond to misinformation quickly. Community engagement was seen as essential. There was a call for more investment in researching traditional remedies like Umhlonyane. It was recommended that Covid-19 services be integrated with other health services, such as TB and HIV screening, to improve uptake and efficiency.

Lockdown Level

The National State of Disaster lifted

Cumulative Cases

4 012 812

Cumulative Deaths

104 308

Cumulative Hospitalisations

542 363

Cumulative Recoveries

3 908 504

Total number of vaccines administered to date

37 520 536

Geographical Region

Africa (South Africa)

Curators of the report

Charity Bhengu

Herkulaas Combrink

William Bird & Peter Benjamin. Data collection for this report: NDOH

HST and Real 411

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