Faizel Patel – 27/08/2021
The chairperson of COVID Comms SA Chris Vick says that despite the facts surrounding the Coronavirus, there are many people who still think the virus is a hoax and a conspiracy theory.
Chris Vick was speaking to Radio Islam about people’s perception of COVID-19 and vaccination ahead of the two-year mark since the virus emerged.
South Africa has so far recorded more than 2.7 million cases while 80,826 people have died from the virus as the country tries to vaccinate as many South Africans as possible.
Vick says there are challenges when communicating around COVID-19.
“Even when people are presented with facts and science and even if its affected them personally, there are still people who are resistant to the idea of getting a vaccination. I think what the more important group to focus on is people who are hesitant. You might have fears or suspicions about the vaccine but are open to persuasion and open to conversation. People who deny it exists when they contracted the disease themselves, I don’t know how you convince someone like that to change their mind.”
Vick says unverified information about COVID-19 and vaccination can have an impact on people lives.
“I think we have a responsibility to act not just for ourselves but the communities we work and live in. So yet it’s your right, but I would argue that the responsible way to hold that belief is not to propagate it because it’s false and incorrect. It is affecting peoples lives and it’s affecting the community situation. I think people need to think twice before they advocate an anti-vaccination position because they’re arguing against science, statistics, figures, research and a whole lot of other things.”
Vick says government’s communication on COVID-19 and vaccination is weak and they could have communicated a lot more effectively and educated the nation about the deadly virus.
Listen to the interview with Chris Vick
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