The importance of getting the message right
Vaccines work
Fabjan, 22, a second-year student of Public Health, and Bleris,24, a sixth-year medical student, both don’t consider themselves “anti-vaxxers” but their hesitancy was based on the many unanswered questions regarding the reliability of the vaccine, its effectiveness, and safety; doubts which had kept them from getting the vaccine against COVID-19.
Acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine and achieving good vaccine coverage for each target group at the national level has been met with resistance in the Albanian population, especially among young people.
Lack of reliable information, lack of access to scientific data, the impact of the media and social networks increased vaccine hesitancy. In 2021, Albania faced a slow uptake of the vaccine especially among the young generation, with COVID-19 vaccine coverage for the 16-24 age group being only 18% with the 2nd dose, in November 2021.
To tackle the fear, myths, and misconceptions on the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination, UNICEF along with the Institute of Public Health, Ministry of Health and Social Protection, and in collaboration with the University of Medicine Tirana, supported by USAID initiated a communication campaign “Choose life, GET VACCINATED!”. The campaign engaged students from three main regions of Albania (Tirana, Durres, Shkodra) and aimed to create a better understanding of the importance of vaccines within the student community.
Well-known medical experts had their say on the best way to increase vaccine uptake. The health promotion department in collaboration with experts of immunization from the Institute of Public Health used the Knowledge Attitudes and Practices survey to understand specific behavior, including COVID-19 vaccination.
The communication experts choose face-to-face information sessions to build trust and communicate effectively with young people. The campaign proved to lead to a meaningful dialogue to combat fears and misinformation. These sessions included volunteer students, too. Teams of communication experts have reached so far 857 students in three regions (Tirana, Durres, Shkodra).
Trusted health experts and peer-to-peer interactions motivated Fabian and Bleris to reconsider their position. Their unwillingness to vaccinate changed. They become active members of the campaign “Chose Life, Get Vaccinated!” And now, they are two of the students who support the experts to convey reliable information to their peers. They serve as vaccine promoters.
“During the information sessions, I learned more about the way vaccines work, their mechanism, side effects, and importance. Thus, after receiving this information and seeing how the myths were addressed, as a future professional I decided to set an example and get vaccinated” said Fabian.
“COVID-19 can affect anyone, regardless of your age or lifestyle so please get vaccinated.” explained, Bleris.
