An important reminder
UN Resident co-ordinator in Fiji Sanaka Samarasinha made an interesting observation when he pointed out that building trust between citizens and governments could help in alleviating doubts about the COVID-19 vaccines.
In the face of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the world has been forced to look at ways to fight the spread, and reduce numbers world-wide. Vaccinations rank quite highly in this good fight.
In an interview on anti-vaxxers, Mr Samarasinha explained that the Ebola crisis in Liberia was a classic example of people not trusting government leadership.
The important thing, then, he said, was to build trust with the communities.
“I was in Liberia for a short time during Ebola and we were working to help them through the UN system respond to that crisis. By the end of my stint there, it was very clear that Ebola was not just a health crisis, it really was a governance crisis.”
He said, the trust that needed to exist between those who governed Liberia and those who were governed did not exist then.
He said there were several ways that governments could maintain that trust, one of which was transparency.
The UN through the World Health Organization has been instrumental in assisting Fiji’s COVID-19 campaign and vaccination programs.
We remain one of the few COVID-contained countries in the world.
The observations by Mr Samarasinha are quite important. In fact they touch a very sensitive part of the vaccination process.
Early this month we reported on misinformation. There have been outlandish suggestions to beat COVID-19, and much talk about the negative impact of vaccines.
These challenging scenarios have flooded the internet space over recent months in the face of the pandemic.
In fact, as we reported earlier, health specialists suggest there has been so much misinformation about health in general, vaccines, and medicine to treat illnesses, that it is a major concern.
On its website, the World Health Organization posted: “As the world responds to the COVID-19 pandemic, we face the challenge of an overindulgence of information related to the virus. Some of this information may be false and potentially harmful. Inaccurate information spreads widely and at speed, making it more difficult for the public to identify verified facts and advice from trusted sources, such as their local health authority or WHO. However, everyone can help to stop the spread. If you see content online that you believe to be false or misleading, you can report it to the hosting social media platform.”
You can access the WHO website to read about misinformation, and myths being cut to pieces.
At the ground level, we should be cutting out misinformation. We should be turning to credible sources of information for updates. This is where trust will also come in.
There has to be awareness pushed to empower people, and inform them about preventative measures and the importance of the vaccination program.
Let’s not forget about social distancing requirements. Wash your hands often, and do not touch your face when out in public. Sneeze into an elbow or into a tissue and dispose this thoughtfully safely. We may be COVID-contained, however, it will take a united effort to keep the status quo.
As Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama received a consignment of 100,000 doses of Made in India Covishield (AstraZeneca) on Monday night, we are reminded about commitments, and how we must unite to fight the pandemic.