DURBAN - KWAZULU-Natal’s Galleria Mall in eManzimtoti requesting proof of Covid-19 vaccination for entry into its management office; the proposed Covid-19 vaccine passport; Christian Perrone, a French doctor who has been promoting anti-vaccine claims; famous rapper Nicki Minaj’s comments on the vaccine causing impotence; and the proposed Covid-19 vaccine for children were among the top searches related to the pandemic.
This is according to the latest findings of the National Department of Health Social Listening Report. Galleria Mall in eManzimtoti raised eyebrows when it put up a poster advising that only people vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus would be allowed to enter its management offices. It said this was to protect its staff who had been vaccinated.
Minaj, who was born in Trinidad, sparked an international furore when she alleged on Twitter that her cousin in that country refused to get a vaccine because his friend became impotent after being vaccinated.
The popular rapper was strongly criticised for being irresponsible and spreading alleged false information.
The Social Listening Report by the Health Department highlights public sentiment on Covid-19, rumours and misinformation in South Africa. On the upside, it said other key trends recently included many celebratory social media postings of people being vaccinated, and approval for the expansion of the vaccine roll-out programme.
South Africa now has 16.1 million people that have had the Covid vaccination with at least 11.5 million having received at least one jab, which is 29% of the adult population of the country.
The report noted 90 000 engagements in general about vaccines. It also noted that online conversations about Covid-19 vaccines that generated most engagements in the past week were related to safety (20%), immunity (18%) and access (17%). Tweets about Covid-19 and vaccines in South Africa generated 60 000 engagements (a 30% increase on the previous week).
The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority’s approval for children aged 12 and above to receive the Pfizer vaccine received positive sentiment, along with an anti-vaxxer becoming an advocate for vaccination after being on a ventilator.
The Social Listening and Infodemiology team that produces the report is part of the Risk Communications and Community Engagement Working Group of the Department of Health. They follow best practice methodology from WHO Africa Infodemic Response Alliance. They pull information from the Health Department, their WhatsApp system, Google, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook and digital news.
THE MERCURY