Social Listening Report Number 68: 26 September 2022
- Title
- Social Listening Report Number 68: 26 September 2022
- Type of Report
- Social Listening Report
- Date
- September 26, 2022
- Key Trends In the Report
- The national state of disaster was lifted. There had been a sharp rise in interest around COVID-19, especially in Johannesburg, where searches for Clicks vaccination sites and vaccine certificates surged by over 2000%. Experts had predicted a sixth COVID-19 wave around September or October, but it was delayed. Reports surfaced about vaccine shortages at private sites like Clicks, with some users assuming licences had expired due to low demand. Mental health issues among youth worsened post-pandemic, with high levels of depression, fear, and loneliness reported. Many described experiencing “COVID burnout”, affecting both personal and work life. A notable increase in pertussis cases was reported, mostly affecting children under five, particularly in the Western Cape. Five monkeypox cases had been confirmed in South Africa, with no secondary infections. Concerns about stigma and misinformation were raised, drawing parallels to early HIV/AIDS narratives.
- Misinformation by Period
- False claims had circulated suggesting that COVID-19 vaccines caused death, severe illness, or long-term health problems. Some users falsely believed that monkeypox was a side effect of the COVID-19 vaccine. There had been confusion and misinformation about vaccine certificates, with some claiming they were no longer valid or needed due to the lifting of COVID-19 regulations. Some users falsely linked outbreaks of diseases like measles, polio, and monkeypox to COVID-19 vaccines.
- Suggested Recommendations
- The Department of Health had been advised to continue promoting the national contact centre to help the public with vaccine-related queries, especially around certificates and booster doses. It was recommended that awareness efforts be intensified around diseases like monkeypox, polio, and measles. A booster dose campaign was proposed to be rolled out before the festive season.
- Lockdown Level
- The National State of Disaster lifted
- Cumulative Cases
- 4 017 552
- Cumulative Deaths
- 104 411
- Cumulative Hospitalisations
- 543 495
- Cumulative Recoveries
- 3 913 141
- Total number of vaccines administered to date
- 37 634 574
- Geographical Region
- Africa (South Africa)
- Curators of the report
- Nombulelo Leburu
- NDoH
- Peter Benjamin
- HealthEnabled
- Charity Bhengu.
- 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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