Social Listening Report Number 74: 07 November 2022

Title

Social Listening Report Number 74: 07 November 2022

Type of Report

Social Listening Report

Date

November 7, 2022

Key Trends In the Report

The national state of disaster was lifted. There had been persistent public concern about whether COVID-19 vaccines caused strokes. Many South Africans had expressed uncertainty about booster eligibility, particularly for those under 55. COVID-19 cases had steadily increased in four provinces ahead of the festive season. The National Health Hotline had seen a drop in call volumes. A study estimating that vaccines had prevented nearly 20 million deaths globally had been misrepresented by sceptics, who falsely claimed the same number had died from the vaccines.

Misinformation by Period

It had been falsely claimed that COVID-19 vaccines caused diabetes, heart attacks, and made people more vulnerable to severe illness. Some individuals had spread the idea that long COVID was actually a side effect of the vaccine. A misinterpretation of a global study had led to the false belief that 20 million people had died from vaccines, when in fact the study had shown that vaccines had prevented that number of deaths. Doubts had been cast on the accuracy of PCR tests, with some claiming they were unreliable or manipulated to inflate case numbers.

Suggested Recommendations

The RCCE Technical Working Group had continued to encourage the public to get vaccinated and boosted, emphasising that COVID-19 was not yet over. Public education efforts had focused on how to report side effects following vaccination. People had been advised to use the MedSafety App, email the Department of Health, or call the hotline to report any adverse reactions and receive guidance on next steps. In response to rising measles cases, especially in Limpopo, the RCCE team had supported provincial efforts by producing educational materials, mobilising communities, and engaging with parents to ensure children received their vaccinations.

Lockdown Level

The National State of Disaster lifted

Cumulative Cases

4 029 942

Cumulative Deaths

104 462

Cumulative Hospitalisations

544 438

Cumulative Recoveries

3 925 480

Total number of vaccines administered to date

37 847 814

Geographical Region

Africa (South Africa)

Curators of the report

Charity Bhengu (NDOH)

Herkulaas Combrink (UFS) and William Bird (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