Social Listening Report Number 83: 13 March 2023

Title

Social Listening Report Number 83: 13 March 2023

Type of Report

Social Listening Report

Date

March 13, 2023

Key Trends In the Report

The national state of disaster was still lifted. Many people struggled to locate active vaccination sites. The NICD received calls regarding how to report adverse vaccine events. These were redirected to SAPHRA, but many callers returned with unresolved queries. Some parents were reluctant to sign consent forms for school-based measles vaccinations due to lingering distrust from the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. Misinformation circulated on platforms like Telegram and Vuka SA, with claims that vaccines were harmful and that natural remedies like cod liver oil should be used instead. WhatsApp was used to spread misinformation, including claims that the measles virus had never been proven to exist and that vaccines were unsafe.

Misinformation by Period

People shared concerns that COVID-19 vaccines were unsafe, often citing unverified side effects or adverse events. There was misinformation about how to report vaccine side effects. Telegram & Vuka SA Channels: These platforms spread false claims that vaccines were harmful and unnecessary. Misinformation led parents to believe that schools were vaccinating children without consent. WhatsApp Campaigns: Messages circulated claiming that the measles virus had never been proven to exist and that vaccines were part of a harmful agenda.

Suggested Recommendations

Citizens were encouraged to confirm site availability before visiting, as many were being redirected from one facility to another. Tools like FindMyJab and the National Hotline (0800 029 999) were recommended to verify which sites were operational on a given day. It was suggested that clear and transparent communication be prioritised, especially around school-based vaccinations. The report recommended collaborative efforts among health organisations to counter misinformation.

Lockdown Level

The National State of Disaster lifted

Cumulative Cases

4 122 614

Cumulative Deaths

103 963

Cumulative Hospitalisations

For the period of 2023 in South Africa, there is no publicly released daily, weekly or even monthly continuing series of hospital admissions for COVID-19 through the DATCOV system after 31 December 2022. The NICD report states, "These daily COVID-19 hospitalisation reports have been discontinued from 31 December 2022". This implies that for 2023, hospitalisation data from that system are incomplete or not publicly reported in the same format.

Cumulative Recoveries

4 018 651

Number of vaccines administered for that week

2 638

Total number of vaccines administered to date

39124152

Geographical Region

South Africa, Malawi, Sudan, Mozambique. In total there were 13 countries in Africa affected by Cholera beginning of the year in 2023

Curators of the report

Charity Bhengu and Nombulelo Leburu

NICD

National Health Hotline

HST

UFS

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